Blessing Okagbare and Grace Nwokocha, both Nigerian female athletes, have qualified for the women’s 100m semi-finals at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.
Okagbare, the Nigerian reigning record holder in both the 100m and 200m, won her heat with 11.05 seconds to advance, while Asha Phillips of the United Kingdom came in second with 11.31 seconds and Tynia Gaither of the Bahamas came in third.
Okagbare is making her fourth participation in the Olympics and third consecutive semi-final.
Behind Okagbare (10.79), Glory Alozie (10.90), Mary Onyali (10.97), and Damola Osayomi (10.99), Grace Nwokocha has moved up to fifth on the Nigerian all-time list.
The 20-year-old qualified for the semi-finals by finishing third with a new Personal Best of 11.00 seconds. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the world number one, won the heat in 10.84s, with Switzerland’s Ajia Del Fonte coming in second with 10.91s.
Nwokocha will be competing in her maiden semi-final, Okagbare will be competing in her third since debuting in the event at the 2012 London Olympics.
While, Okagbare has won Olympic and World Championship medals. In the 200m, she holds the women’s Commonwealth Games record and the current African record.
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