Favour Ofili has etched her name in the annals of Nigerian Olympic history, becoming the first woman from her country in 28 years to reach the final of the 200m at the Games.
The 22-year-old secured her spot in the Paris Olympics medal race with an impressive performance in Tuesday’s semi-final,
Shed clocked a season’s best of 22.05 seconds, finishing second in the race to automatically qualifying for the final.
Notably, Ofili’s time ranked her as the third fastest qualifier overall, behind only American Gabby Thomas and St Lucia’s Julien Alfred. This positions her as a strong contender for a podium finish in the final.
Her success marks a significant improvement on her first-round time of 22.24 seconds set on Sunday, showcasing Ofili’s rising form as the competition intensifies.
This achievement is particularly remarkable given the setback she faced earlier in the Games. Ofili had qualified for the 100m event but was unable to compete due to an administrative error by Nigerian officials who failed to register her for the race.
Despite this disappointment, Ofili has demonstrated exceptional resilience, channelling her focus into the 200m with outstanding results.
Ofili, the Nigerian record holder, will now set her sights on Thursday evening’s final at the Stade de France. There, she’ll have the opportunity to add to her already historic run by competing against the world’s best sprinters.
This performance represents a landmark moment for Nigerian athletics, ending a 28-year drought in the women’s 200m final and potentially opening doors for future success on the Olympic stage.
