Nigeria’s hopes of having a female athlete compete in the Olympic 100m final have been dashed once again, extending the country’s drought to three consecutive editions.
Rosemary Chukwuma, Nigeria’s sole entrant in the semifinals, finished last in her heat on Saturday, failing to advance to the final.
Analysts had suggested that Chukwuma needed to equal or surpass Blessing Okagbare’s 2012 London Olympics semifinal time of 10.92 seconds to stand a chance.
However, the 22-year-old fell short, clocking 11.39 seconds and finishing eighth.
Chukwuma’s struggles were not unexpected, given her narrow escape in the opening heat, where she qualified for the semifinals with a time of 11.26 seconds after avoiding a false start.
Aside from the absence of Nigerian women in the 100m final another noticable absentee is reigning African Championships and African Games champion, Gina Bass who also failed to qualify.
As a result, 35-year-old Ivorian, Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith, will be the sole African representative in the final.
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Meanwhile, St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred made a stunning statement in the semifinals, winning heat 2 with a remarkable time of 10.84 seconds. USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson secured the second automatic spot, finishing in 10.89 seconds.
The 100m final will be held later on Saturday night.
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