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The Athletes Representing Nigeria At The Tokyo Olympics 2020?

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The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics will finally begin on Friday, after an unprecedented pandemic delay.

This year, our Nigerian athletes will compete in a variety of sports, including basketball, athletics, badminton, table tennis, swimming, canoe sprint, wrestling, and taekwondo, to name a few. While many players will be present, there are certain names you may not be acquainted with but should be aware of.

These are the athletes representing Nigeria:

Artistic Gymnastics

Eke Uche

 23
Participating in: Men’s All-Around, Men’s Floor Exercise, Men’s Pommel Horse, Men’s Rings, Men’s Vault, Men’s Parallel Bars, and Men’s Horizontal Bar.
One thing to know: His best friend Kevin taught him how to do a backflip. His mum saw him do it in the house and he landed on his head. So, she told him to either learn it correctly or quit. She realised he wouldn’t stop, so then she put him in a gymnastics programme. He loves doing backflips. He likes being upside down in the handstand. “It’s mainly adrenaline, honestly.”

 

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Athletics

Adegoke Enoch

Age: 21
Participating in: Men’s 100m
One thing to know: He qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a ground record-breaking of 9.97s in Nigeria to compete in the 100m category. According to reports, he is the current fastest man in Nigeria after beating the likes of Usheoritse Itsekiri and Jerry Jakpa to claim the feat.

 

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Ajayi Yinka

Age: 23
Participating in: 4 x 400m Relay Mixed
One thing to know: Yinka is the first current Drake female student-athlete to compete in the Olympics. She’s the fifth Drake athlete to qualify for the Olympics.

 

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Amusan Tobi

Age: 24
Participating in: Women’s 100m Hurdles
One thing to know: “I used to be a soccer player and I was told to just stay on this side of the field [but] I just ran around and my coach was like, ‘This is not your sport’. He took me to a track coach and I ended up doing the trials and I defeated basically all the best people on the team, and that was how I got myself running track. I started with sprints but I later fell in love with the hurdles.”

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Brume Ese

Age: 25
Participating in: Women’s Long Jump
One thing to know: She initially focused on the 400m before switching to the long jump. She decided to pursue the sport more seriously after placing sixth at the Nigerian national championships.

 

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Chukwuma Rosemary

Age: 19
Participating in: Women’s 4 x 100m Relay
One thing to know: She earned a bronze medal in the 4 x 100m relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a gold medal in the 4 x 100m relay at the 2019 African Games. In 2018, she earned a gold medal in the 100m at the Summer Youth Olympics, timing 11.17 seconds.

 

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Echikunwoke Annette

Age: 24
Participating in: Women’s Hammer Throw
One thing to know: She is a full-time search specialist at a marketing and advertising company based in Cincinnati, OH, United States of America. She has done volunteer work including as a tutor and at a food bank in Cincinnati. (LinkedIn profile).

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Enekwechi Chukwuebuka

Age: 28
Participating in: Men’s Shot Put
One thing to know: His parents, Christian and Christiana Enekwechi are Nigerians from Anambra and Imo State, respectively. He has three siblings. Enekwechi also works as a throws coach for West Lafayette High School.

 

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George Patience Okon

 29
Participating in: Women’s 400m
One thing to know: She is also a three-time Nigerian national champion in the 400 metres.

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Godbless Tima

 17
Participating in: Women’s 4 x 100m Relay
One thing to know: She is one of the two athletes from Bayelsa who have qualified for the Olympics.
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Itsekiti Usheoritse

Age: 23
Participating in: Men’s 100m
One thing to know: He began focusing fully on athletics after completing his university studies in 2016.

 

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Nathaniel Samson Oghenewegba

 23
Participating in: 4 x 400m Relay Mixed
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Nwokochai Nzubechi Grace

20
Participating in: Women’s 100m, Women’s 200m and Women’s 4 x 100m Relay.
One thing to know: Grace won the women’s 100 metres final race in the 20th National Sports Festival which took place in Benin.

 

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Oduduru Divine

 24
Participating in: Men’s 100m and Men’s 200m.
One thing to know: He says the memory of a difficult childhood in Nigeria motivates him in competition. “For everyone, it was a struggle to survive. We walked to and from school and some days I didn’t eat, I was starving. The key to my success is my determination. I’m focused and hungry for success. I know where I come from, and I use that as a drive whenever I’m on the track.”

 

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Ofili Favour

Age: 18
Participating in: Women’s 200m and Women’s 4 x 100m Relay.
One thing to know: At 16 years and 273 days, she was the youngest athlete to compete in any event at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, when she finished third in her heat in the 400m.

 

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Ojeli Ifeanyi Emmanuel

 22
Participating in: 4 x 400m Relay Mixed.
One thing to know: In 2018, he won the bronze medal for National Sports Festival 400m, the national youth cames 400m champion in 2017, and in 2016, he became the top sprinter for the 400m race.

 

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Okagbare Blessing

Age: 32
Participating in: Women’s 100m, Women’s 200m and Women’s 4 x 100m Relay.
One thing to know: She listens to music before each race.

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Okezie Chidi

Age: 27
Participating in: 4 x 400m Relay Mixed.
One thing to know: His father, Moses Okezie is Nigerian and his mother Carol Morris is Jamaican. He has nine siblings. He graduated from Hampton University in 2015 and has a Master’s in Sports Administration.

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Omovoh Knowledge

Age: 20
Participating in: Women’s 4 x 100m Relay.
One thing to know: She’s the youngest of 25 children.

 

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Onyekwere Chioma

 27
Participating in: Women’s Discus Throw.
One thing to know: She’s a triplet.

 

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Patrick Glory

Age: 20
Participating in: 4 x 400m Relay Mixed

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Uko Imaobong Nse

Age: 17
Participating in: 4 x 400m Relay Mixed
One thing to know: Uko is one of the youngest athletes that has been registered for this edition of the world relays at the Olympics.

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Usoro Ruth

Age: 23
Participating in: Women’s Long Jump and Women’s Triple Jump.
One thing to know: She is co-founder of Athletic Heat, a Nigerian sports media and management company.

 

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Badminton

Adesokan Dorcas Ajoke

Age: 23
Participating in: Women’s Single
One thing to know: Winning gold in women’s singles and doubles at 2019 All Africa Championships in Port Harcourt was her most memorable day.

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Olofua Godwin

Age: 22
Participating in: Men’s Doubles
One thing to know: He was named Best Male Badminton Player at the 2018 West African University Games in Port Harcourt.

 

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Opeyori Anuoluwapo Juwon

Age: 24
Participating in: Men’s Doubles
One thing to know: He was named Racket Sportsperson of the Year and Sportsman of the Year at the 2019 Nigeria Sports Award in Lagos, Nigeria.

 

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Basketball

Agada Caleb

Age: 26
One thing to know: He is an Idoma Nigerian-Canadian basketball player. He plays for Hapoel Be’er Sheva of the Israeli Premier League and the Nigerian national basketball team.

 

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Amukamara Promise

Age: 28
One thing to know: She is a Nigerian basketball player for Charnay BB and the Nigerian national team.

 

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Age: 20
One thing to know: She began playing basketball at age three.

 

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Age: 26
One thing to know: In the 2017 WNBA Draft she was selected in the third round, 31st overall pick, by the Atlanta Dream. She has since played in Slovenia, Greece, Belarus, and France.

 

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Age: 31
One thing to know: She was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] of the 2019 Spanish Supercopa after winning the competition with Uni Girona CB. She was also named MVP of the 2016 Copa de la Reina in Spain after her club CB Conquero won the tournament.

 

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Emegano Obi

Age: 28
One thing to know: Nigerian professional basketball player for Fuenlabrada of the Spanish Liga ACB.

 

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Age: 31
One thing to know: In 2018 she was inducted into the university’s Ring of Honour and her jersey was retired.

 

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Age: 29
One thing to know: She’s the CEO of a cosmetic line, Kalu Kosmetics.

 

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Kunaiyi-Akpanah Pallas

Age: 24
One thing to know: Her parents signed her up for a basketball training programme due to her height. She began taking the sport seriously when she met Mobolaji Akiode who ran Hope 4 Girls Africa, a non-profit focusing on empowering girls in Nigeria through sport and education.

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Age: 30
One thing to know: This is her first time playing for Nigeria.

 

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Metu Chimezie

Age: 24
One thing to know: He was selected in the second round, 49th overall pick, in the 2018 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.

 

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Age: 35
One thing to know: She plans to retire from the sport after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

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Age: 28
One thing to know: He last played for Samara of the Russian Basketball Super League 1.

 

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Nwora Jordan

Age: 22
One thing to know: His father Alex has served as head coach of the Nigerian men’s basketball team. (espn.com, 30 Aug 2019)

 

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Nyingifa Atonye

Age: 30
One thing to know: While playing at the University of California, Los Angeles in the United States of America, in 2014 she received All-Pac-12 Honours.

 

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Ogwumike Erinma

Age: 23
One thing to know: Her sisters Nneka, Chiney, and Olivia have all played basketball. Nneka and Chiney represented the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2020/21 WNBA season, while Olivia played for Rice University during the 2018/19 collegiate season.

 

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Okafor Jahlil

Age: 25
One thing to know: In 2016 he was selected for the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team.

 

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Okogie Josh

Age: 22
One thing to know: In 2018 NBA draft he was selected in the first round, 20th overall pick, by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

 

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Okonkwo Amy Nnenna

Age: 24
One thing to know: She aspires to become a coach after retiring from the sport.

 

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Okpala Chikezie

Age: 22
One thing to know: In 2018 he was named Top Defensive Player while at Stanford University in the United States of America.

 

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Oni Olumiye

Age: 23
One thing to know: He began playing basketball at age two.

 

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Udoh Ekpe

Age: 34
One thing to know: He runs #EkpesBookClub, an online reading community.

 

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Vincent Nnamdi

Age: 25
One thing to know: He was named 2019/20 NBA G League Most Improved Player in the United States of America.

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Canoe Sprint

Bello Ayomide Emmanuel

Age: 19
Participating in: Women’s Canoe Single 200m
One thing to know: She began practising canoe sprint professionally in 2017. Her achievements include: Africa Games 2019 ( 4 Gold Medals), Africa Canoe Championship Egypt 2019 ( 1 Gold and 1 Silver Medal), Open international canoe sprint Championship India 2019 (1 Gold and 3 Bronze Medals) and African Youth Games Algeria 2018 (2 Gold Medals).

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Rowing

Toko Esther

Age: 21
Participating in: Women’s Single Sculls
One thing to know: She has represented Nigeria in various competitions. Some of her achievements include: Africa Coastal Rowing, Cape Verde 2019 ( 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Medal), West African Rowing Ragatta Cote D Ivoire 2018 ( 1 Silver Medal) and Canoe Sprint African Championship Morocco 2015 (1 Gold and 2 Bronze Medals).

 

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Swimming

Ogunbawo Abiola 

Age: 17
Participating in: Women’s 100m Freestyle
One thing to know: She hopes to be a role model for young Muslims who want to swim in Australia.

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Table Tennis

Aruna Quadri

Age: 32
Participating in: Men’s Singles
One thing to know: In 2017 he became the first African player to compete in the European Champions League when he suited up for Sporting Lisbon. In the same year, he also became the first Nigerian to win a title at a Challenge Series event when he claimed the singles title at the 2017 Polish Open in Czestochowa.

 

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Edem Offiong

Age: 34
Participating in: Women’s Singles
One thing to know: She was originally a street footballer, but chose table tennis due to the lower risk of injury.

 

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Omotayo Olajide

Age: 26
Participating in: Men’s Singles
One thing to know: He began playing table tennis at age eight in Lagos, Nigeria, when he and his sister Omobolanle would play on their dining table using a broom as a net.

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Oshonaike Olufunke

Age: 45
Participating in: Women’s Singles
One thing to know: She runs the Funke Oshonaike Foundation in Nigeria that aims to coach and support young table tennis players to reach their potential

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Taekwondo

Anyanacho Elizabeth Oluchi

Age: 22
Participating in: Women -67kg
One thing to know: She began taekwondo at age 15 in Lugbe, Nigeria.

 

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Wrestling

Adekuroye Odunayo Folasade

Age: 27
Participating in: Women’s Freestyle 57kg
One thing to know: As a girl she kept her wrestling career a secret from her parents, and even stayed away from home for four days to represent her secondary school at the Okada Games in Nigeria without telling them.

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Adeniyi Aminat Oluwafunmilayo

Age: 28
Participating in: Women’s Freestyle 62kg
One thing to know: In 2014 she was named a Member of the Order of the Niger.

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Agimor Ekerekeme

Age: 26
Participating in: Men’s Freestyle 86kg

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Idris Adijat Avorshai

Age: 19
Participating in: Women’s Freestyle 50kg

Nigeria Olympic Committee Countdown: ADIJAT IDRIS - WOMEN'S FREESTYLE 50kg - Sports Intelligence Magazine

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Oborududu Blessing

Age: 32
Participating in: Women’s Freestyle 68kg
One thing to know: She was named Best Female Wrestler at the 2013 Commonwealth Championships in Johannesburg, South Africa

Blessing Oborududu: I want World, Olympic gold medals on my shelf

Photo Credit: Vanguard

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