Long jumper, Ese Brume has on Tuesday, August 3 won Nigeria’s first medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Brume, 25, claimed the bronze medal in the women’s long jump at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
She achieved the feat with a 6.97m jump, two days after she qualified for the finals with a jump of 6.76m.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Malaika Mihambo soared to gold in the women’s long jump, snatching victory from former champion Brittney Reese with her last leap of the competition.
Mihambo was lying in the bronze medal position ahead of her final jump, but powered down the runway to register a season-best jump of 7.00 metres.
That left 2012 Olympic champion Reese – who had led the competition with a best jump of 6.97m – with one final attempt to reclaim the lead.
However, the American could only manage 6.84 with her last leap to settle for silver.
Brume’s win adds to positive news for Nigeria at the Olympics after a run of negative news of defeats and the disqualification of some of the country’s athletes.
The 25-year-old Brume had won bronze at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
Having jumped a distance of 7.17m at Chule Vista Festival in California in May, Ese had shattered Chioma Ajunwa’s 25-year long jump record of 7.12m.
Brume’s jump was the World Lead going into the Olympics. She was the only Nigerian athlete who reached the final of her event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where she placed fifth with a leap of 6.81m.
Many Nigerians had expected to get the country’s first medal through Blessing Oborududu after the wrestler beat Mongolia’s Battsetseg Soronzonbold to reach the final of the women’s freestyle 68kg wrestling on Monday.
The win guaranteed Nigeria a medal at the Olympics, either the final bout ended in a win or lose situation.
However, ahead of Blessing’s final fight, Brume’s win gives Nigerians reasons to celebrate and an increased expectation for another medal from the wrestler.
