TUESDAY COLUMN – BOSE OPENE Okagbare, Still A Blessing I had already prepared myself to fully celebrate Blessing Okagbare in this column today, following her heroics at the IAAF World Athletics Championship in Moscow, Russia on Sunday, but my enthusiasm was somehow dampened when she failed to make a medal in the 100m yesterday. However, I refuse to allow that setback totally spoil my fun, and I insist on still celebrating Nigeria’s blessing of the moment in terms of athletics. We must still celebrate her, because it is no longer news that Nigeria finally overcame her long awaited revival at the IAAF Championship, after several years of failing to clinch a single medal, after fourteen torrid outings in the global track and field show, in which we have almost forgotten that the ‘rebel’ duo of Gloria Alozie and Francis Obikwelu won silver and gold for the country. That was several years ago, before they both naturalised for Spain and Portugal respectively. Since then, Nigeria endlessly tried to have her flag raised at the podium, to no effect. Finally relief came smiling in the person of Okagbare Blessing, who decided On a Sunday to bless the nation with her aura. Really, the meaning of her name has actually rubbed off on the country, for the ample effect is that she is a blessing to us all. In fact, since her emergence into the spotlight, she has brought nothing but blessings and blessings all the way, through her efforts in the sprints and long jump. In 2007, at the All Africa Games trials in Lagos, she established a Nigerian record of 14.13metres in the triple jump and went on to win the silver medal in the 100m, while she finished fourth in the triple jump. Since then, she has become unstoppable with her quest for medals and this was seen at the African Athletics Championships of 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya, where she won two gold, both in long jump and 100m, as well as silver in 200m, then won bronze at the 2010 Continental Cup in the 100m. The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing saw her win a bronze in the long jump, while at the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique she won gold in the long jump and two silver – in the 100metres and 4 x 100m race. Her performances over the years and especially this season have given Nigeria hope of medals wherever she goes and now at 2013 Moscow World Championships, she has already established her position and not just her presence alone but that of Nigeria. The joy of it all was given more value when her silver won on Sunday raised the ranking of the country to fifth position, and I was hoping the outcome of her 100 race would take her and the nation much higher. Not to worry, Blessing still has the 200m to compete in, and probably Nigeria will decide to enter for the women’s 4x100m relay, the results of which I hope will add height to the country’s image. Which only says, despite losing out in the 100m yesterday, we still have another blessing to look up to from Blessing and that is no mean message coming from my heroine of the moment. Indeed Blessing Okagbare is a blessing to us as a nation and I choose to celebrate this lady today, while expecting more from her in the 200metres. She remains my heroine, not just because I am a lady like her, but she has taken up the gauntlet as Nigeria’s only medal hope in Moscow, where the like of Ajoke Odumosu, Oghene-Ogwero, Regina George and Gloria Asumnu are falling apart like a pack of cards. While others are crumbling just like that, in Blessing Okagbare we still have for something, which makes her Nigeria’s reigning queen.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 19:38:17 +0000
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