2024 Paris Olympics: Analyzing Team Nigeria’s Journey

2024 Paris Olympics: Analyzing Team Nigeria’s Journey

Team Nigeria has ended the 2024 Paris Olympics without winning a medal.

The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, described Team Nigeria’s performance in the Olympics as “disappointing.”

Nigeria’s Olympic struggles date back to Helsinki in 1952 with subsequent disappointments in Melbourne in 1956, Rome in 1960, and a brief respite at Tokyo in 1964, where Nojeem Mayegun won Nigeria’s first Olympic medal.

The drought continued in Mexico City 1968, Moscow 1980 and Seoul 1988.

Team Nigeria went to the Olympics on the back of some great performances in qualifying events.

They registered for 12 events but  failed to translate its continental dominance at the Olympics.

A total of 88 athletes featured across 12 sports for Nigeria at the Games.

While there were standout performances from athletes like Favour Ofili in athletics and Blessing Oborududu in wrestling, the team ultimately fell short of its medal targets.

The absence of a medal is undoubtedly a disappointment for the nation, which has a rich sporting history.

Here’s a list of various athletes who participated at the event:

1. Hannah Reuben lost her Women’s Freestyle 76kg fight. She lost 5-2 to Mongolia’s Enkh-Amaryn Davaanasan in the round of 16 tie.

2. Favour Ofili, who was inexplicably excluded from the 100m event, made history as the first Nigerian woman to reach the 200m final since Mary Onyali achieved the feat at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

3. 18-year old Samuel Ogazi became the first Nigerian man to reach the 400m final since Innocent Egbunike’s 1988 feat at the Seoul Olympics.

4. The Long Jump Trio of Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor also made history as the first time three Nigerians reached the final in one event.

5. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi finished sixth in the Shot Put event final.

6. Super Falcons also crashed out of the football game. They lost all their three group matches to Brazil, Spain (both 1-0) and Japan, scoring their only goal in a 3-1 defeat.

7. Boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore was expelled from the Games for allegedly failing a dope test.

8. The quartet of Emmanuel Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathanial, Dubem Amene and Chidi Okezie, were disqualified from the men’s 4x400m relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The referee disqualified Team Nigeria when one of them impeded a South African athlete following a changeover.

9. Tobi Amusan failed to qualify for the final of the 100m low hurdles

10. In wrestling, Blessing Ob­orududu and Odunayo Ade­kuoroye, who were touted to win medal at the Games failed when it mattered most. While Adekuoroye did not reach the semifinal, even as Oborududu lost in the semis and equally lost the bronze medal match.

11. Ese Brume, who led two of her compatriots to the final of the women’s long jump final placed fifth thereby failing to win a medal.

12. In Table Tennis the country’s athletes did not fare better. They all crashed out of the Games at the first hurdle. Offiong Edem, Quadri Aruna, Olajide Omotayo, and Fatima Bello represented the country.

13. In weightlifting, it was also tale of woes. Rafiatu Lawal in the 59kg placed fifth in the final.

14. Against all expectations, D’Tigress beat third ranked team in the world, Australia 75- 62 in their opening game. Though they lost to the host team, France ranked seventh, 54-75, they ral­lied to beat fifth ranked Canada 79-70 in their group final game to qualify for the quarterfinal and become the first African team to achieve such a feat.

15. In Taekwondo, another Nigerian athlete Elizabeth Anyanacho didn’t go pass the round of 16 in the -67kg of the tee action.

Despite the lack of medals, there are positives to build upon as the countdown to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games begins.