Fears over team Nigeria’s chances of winning any medals mount as the 2024 Paris Olympics come to a close.
Despite high ambitions and tremendous preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the squad faces formidable challenges that may result in another medal-less performance.
Nigerian athletes had shown promise in the lead-up to the Games, with strong performances in a variety of qualifying events.
The Olympics, on the other hand, are a different level of competition, including the top athletes in the world.
Historically, Nigeria has failed to transfer continental successes into Olympic medals, and this year may be no exception.
As the Games conclude, the Nigerian sports community hopes for a miracle. However, the odds imply that another barren trip is on the way, extending the country’s quest for Olympic triumph.
Currently, there is serious doubt about squad Nigeria’s chances of winning a medal, as the squad has been eliminated from nine of the twelve events entered, either through harsh losses or administrative mistakes.
Top medal contenders like Olympic captain Anuoluwapo Opeyori, Blessing Oborududu, and Aruna Quadri, along with seventy-seven other competitors, have left the Games without medals.
Favour Ofili, who ran in lane nine, finished sixth in the women’s 200m final in 22.24 seconds. Despite her season-best time of 22.05 seconds in the semifinals, she was unable to secure a medal.
Ofili, a first-time Olympian, became the first Nigerian woman to qualify for the 200m final in 28 years, succeeding Mary Onyali, who won bronze in Atlanta in 1996.
Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike failed to advance from the men’s 200m semi-finals, finishing eighth in 20.72 seconds. His compatriot, Ezekiel Nathaniel, also failed to advance in the 400m hurdles, finishing fifth in the semi-finals in 48.65 seconds, a substantial decrease from his heat performance.
Notably, Nathaniel broke a 12-year Olympic record by reaching the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles.
In wrestling, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Blessing Oborududu was defeated 3-0 by her Japanese opponent in the 68 kg freestyle bronze medal final.
Christianah Ogunsanya also had a setback, losing her second-round match in the women’s freestyle 53 kg to Mongolia’s Khulan Batkhuyag and leaving the Games.
Anuoluwapo Opeyori, Africa’s top badminton player, was no match for his Asian opponents, and he left the games without winning a game.
Olaitan Olatoye was eliminated from the heavyweight (92 kg) division after losing 5-0 to Kazakhstan’s Oralbay Aibek.
IN weightlifting, Folashade Rafiatu Lawal finished fifth in the women’s 59 kg weightlifting event, lifting 230 kg in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. She came within 5 kg of a bronze medal despite achieving a new personal best in the Clean & Jerk by lifting an extra 5 kg.
Similarly, China’s Hong Kong defeated Odunayo Adekuoroye 8-10 in the women’s freestyle 57 kg wrestling event at the 2024 Olympics.
All of Team Nigeria’s table tennis participants, including Fatima Bello, Aruna Quadri, Olajide Omotayo, and Effiong Edem, were eliminated in the singles tournament.
Their eliminations marked the first time since table tennis was introduced at the 1988 Olympics that no Nigerian table tennis player had at least one win.
The Super Falcons, who returned to women’s Olympic football after 16 years, struggled to create an impression in Paris.
Despite a promising performance at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, they tied their worst Olympic record set in 2008, losing their first two games before losing 3-1 in the final.
Medal contenders Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor all failed to make the podium in Thursday’s Long Jump finals. Brume finished fifth with a leap of 6.70m, Usoro came in tenth with a leap of 6.58m, and Ochonogor finished last with a leap of 6.24m, therefore ending the country’s medal hopes.
In basketball, the country’s women’s Olympics basketball team, the D’Tigress, had been a shining light. They made history by reaching the quarterfinals after defeating fifth-ranked Canada, a feat no African team (male or female) had achieved in an Olympic tournament.
This year also marked the first time the team won two games at the Olympics, a huge improvement from previous African teams, who had only one win in 37 games in the women’s competition.
However, their extraordinary Olympic adventure came to an end with a quarter-final loss to the defending champions and world number one, the United States, by a score of 88-74.
While the nation had a glimse of hope, World record holder Tobi Amusan had raised Nigeria’s hopes of a podium finish with a strong victory in the heats of the women’s 100m hurdles ahead of the finals on Saturday.
However, that hope was dashed to the ground following her failure to qualify for the final of the 100-meter hurdles event.
Amusan came third in her heat with a time of 12.55 seconds on Friday. Despite missing out on the two automatic qualifying spots, she hoped to advance as one of the fastest losers. Unfortunately, her time was not good enough to secure a place in the final eight.
On Friday, the Nigerian men’s 4×400 Olympics relay team (Emmanuel Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Dubem Amene, and Chidi Okezie) finished second in their semifinal heat but were disqualified for lane violation.
Following these setbacks, there is little hope for the athletes remaining in the Games who are hoping to turn the country’s fortunes around and secure a spot on the podium to avoid repeating the records of 1952 Helsinki, 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome, 1968 Mexico, 1980 Moscow, 1988 Seoul, and, most recently, 2012 London, when Team Nigeria exited the Games without a medal.
The 2024 Paris Olympics proved to be a difficult event for Team Nigeria, underscoring the need for better athlete preparation and support.
As the Olympics Games conclude, the nation looks forward to future tournaments in the hopes of overcoming these challenges and reaching Olympic triumph.
