Blessing Okagbare emerges world best sprinter

In an online review of the world
top 10 sprinters in 2014, Blessing
Okagbare, Nigeria’s and Africa’s
Queen of the track who posted a
top-notch performance this season
was selected as the best ahead of
Justin Gatlin, a five time Olympic
medalist; Kaliese Spencer, Dafne
Schippers and Kirani James .
The Beijing 2008 Long Jump Bronze
Medalist is the reigning Nigerian
and Commonwealth 100m & 200m
Champion, and African 100m Champ
as well!
She had a good outing at the
Diamond League, especially in
Shanghai where she won a double
with Meet Records in the Long
jump (6.86m) and 200m. She ran
also a PB of 22.23s in the 200m to
come 2nd behind surprise winner
Tori Bowie in Eugene.
Okagbare is now the most prolific
athlete of the Diamond League
since its inception in 2010,
notching up her 38th appearance in
the series. She participated in nine
Diamond League meetings this
season, winning four of them. She’s
ranked second in the IAAF World
rankings in the 100m this year, and
fifth in the 200m.
At the Nigerian Championships in
Calabar, she became the first
athlete in the Country’s Track and
Field history to win a sixth
consecutive title in the 100m in a
CR of 11.06s, before going on to
make it a sprint double in the 200m
in 22.62s.
Okagbare’s finest moment of 2014
was undoubtedly the
Commonwealth Games in Glasgow,
where she emerged as the
outstanding athlete of the Games.
She lived up to pre-championships
expectations to win the 100m in a
Games Record of 10.85s, before
making it a double in the 200m in
22.25s.
She also helped the women’s
4x100m relay team to a silver
medal finish in 42.92s. At the African
Championships in Morocco, she
regained her 100m title lost in 2012
by winning with another CR of
11.00s flat before anchoring the
4x100m relay team to a fifth back-
to-back title in 43.65s!
The Sprints happen to be the most
explosive events in Track and Field.
Despite the absence of world
record holder Usain Bolt from most
top events in 2014, other sprinters
(100m, 200m, 400m and hurdlers)
did not disappoint as they raced
their way into the history books
and went on to win major
Championships.
The 2014 sprinting season may
have come and gone, but the
indelible marks set by these
sprinters are a sign for exciting
things to come, in the way of more
rivalries and records at the 2015
World Championships and the 2016
Olympics!