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COULD THERE BE A GOLD MEDAL FOR BLESSING IN MOSCOW?
I am officially going on record saying that Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare is in the medal hunt for the women’s 100-metres in Moscow. I will further go on record saying that Shelly Ann Frazer-Pryce had better get it right there or else the John Smith-coached Nigerian sprinter/long jumper could possibly take the coveted gold medal.
Okagbare was dragged kicking and screaming from the tiny little town of Texas El Paso where she attended school back in 2011 as her shoe sponsors Nike wanted to have Smith, the sprint guru, mould her prodigious talent into something spectacular.
The Nigerian had been quite content to remain in El Paso but made the move. It paid off almost immediately as she made it to the Olympic finals in London last year. She finished last but not to be overlooked was the time -11.01s- that she produced in the finals after taking her semi-final heats in 10.92s.
Fast forward to the new season and Blessing came has come out showing that she is an improved model. In May in Shanghai, she chased down and caught Carmelita Jeter, the reigning world champion, but finished second to Frazer-Pryce in 10.96. Jeter pulled up with an injury late in the race but there can’t be any doubt that injury or not, it seemed as if the Nigerian was going to pass Jeter regardless. At the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon in June, on a fast track and in ideal sprinting conditions, she blazed to a 10.75 clocking in slightly windy conditions, 2.2 m/s, storming past Veronica Campbell Brown to once again take second behind Jamaica’s pocket rocket who won in 10.71.
The greatest indicator yet that she has been closing the gap between herself and the two-time Olympic 100-m champion was in Paris on July 7 when Okagbare stormed through the field late to finish 0.01 seconds shy of Frazer-Pryce’s 10.92. In was even more instructive that had she run through the tape she could have handed the Jamaican darling her first loss over the 100 metres this season. Instead, perhaps too eager for the line, she started dipping from 10 metres out and almost fell but still lost by the smallest of margins.
I know we can all argue that Frazer-Pryce did not get a great start, but neither did the Nigerian, who closed like a runaway train. She beat Frazer-Pryce going 200m just over a week before and it is clear she is not intimidated by the Jamaican or anyone else for that matter. It can also be argued that Frazer-Pryce is in preparation mode for the World Championships and is not at her sharpest, but we can also assume that Okagbare is in similar mode five weeks before the start of the championships on August 10.
It is likely that Jeter will not be factor in Moscow, given that she has looked quite ordinary in the two 200-metre races she has had since coming back from the injury she suffered in Shanghai. There will also be no Campbell-Brown who is facing possible suspension from competition and that opens up the field in the women’s short sprint.
The field should look something like this: Frazer-Pryce, Kelli-Ann Baptiste, Kerron Stewart, Ivet Lalova, Murielle Ahoure, and perhaps English Gardener, Sherone Simpson. In this field as is, only one athlete is this year better in the 100 metres than the Nigerian, who has beaten everyone this season over the 100m and 200m.
Will the rounds be a factor? Perhaps. But with the Nigerian being stronger and faster than ever, her exertions should be minimal advancing to the finals. Should that be the case, it’s hard to see anyone except Frazer-Pryce getting the better of her. If not, the gold could very well be hers.
I am officially going on record saying that Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare is in the medal hunt for the women’s 100-metres in Moscow. I will further go on record saying that Shelly Ann Frazer-Pryce had better get it right there or else the John Smith-coached Nigerian sprinter/long jumper could possibly take the coveted gold medal.
Okagbare was dragged kicking and screaming from the tiny little town of Texas El Paso where she attended school back in 2011 as her shoe sponsors Nike wanted to have Smith, the sprint guru, mould her prodigious talent into something spectacular.
The Nigerian had been quite content to remain in El Paso but made the move. It paid off almost immediately as she made it to the Olympic finals in London last year. She finished last but not to be overlooked was the time -11.01s- that she produced in the finals after taking her semi-final heats in 10.92s.
Fast forward to the new season and Blessing came has come out showing that she is an improved model. In May in Shanghai, she chased down and caught Carmelita Jeter, the reigning world champion, but finished second to Frazer-Pryce in 10.96. Jeter pulled up with an injury late in the race but there can’t be any doubt that injury or not, it seemed as if the Nigerian was going to pass Jeter regardless. At the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon in June, on a fast track and in ideal sprinting conditions, she blazed to a 10.75 clocking in slightly windy conditions, 2.2 m/s, storming past Veronica Campbell Brown to once again take second behind Jamaica’s pocket rocket who won in 10.71.
The greatest indicator yet that she has been closing the gap between herself and the two-time Olympic 100-m champion was in Paris on July 7 when Okagbare stormed through the field late to finish 0.01 seconds shy of Frazer-Pryce’s 10.92. In was even more instructive that had she run through the tape she could have handed the Jamaican darling her first loss over the 100 metres this season. Instead, perhaps too eager for the line, she started dipping from 10 metres out and almost fell but still lost by the smallest of margins.
I know we can all argue that Frazer-Pryce did not get a great start, but neither did the Nigerian, who closed like a runaway train. She beat Frazer-Pryce going 200m just over a week before and it is clear she is not intimidated by the Jamaican or anyone else for that matter. It can also be argued that Frazer-Pryce is in preparation mode for the World Championships and is not at her sharpest, but we can also assume that Okagbare is in similar mode five weeks before the start of the championships on August 10.
It is likely that Jeter will not be factor in Moscow, given that she has looked quite ordinary in the two 200-metre races she has had since coming back from the injury she suffered in Shanghai. There will also be no Campbell-Brown who is facing possible suspension from competition and that opens up the field in the women’s short sprint.
The field should look something like this: Frazer-Pryce, Kelli-Ann Baptiste, Kerron Stewart, Ivet Lalova, Murielle Ahoure, and perhaps English Gardener, Sherone Simpson. In this field as is, only one athlete is this year better in the 100 metres than the Nigerian, who has beaten everyone this season over the 100m and 200m.
Will the rounds be a factor? Perhaps. But with the Nigerian being stronger and faster than ever, her exertions should be minimal advancing to the finals. Should that be the case, it’s hard to see anyone except Frazer-Pryce getting the better of her. If not, the gold could very well be hers.
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