Rio Olympics: Nigeria women’s relay team finishes last

Blessing Okagbare led women’s relay team.

Team Nigeria relay team, led by Blessing Okagbare, on Saturday finished last in the women’s 4x100m relay at the ongoing Rio Olympics.

The Nigerian quartet made up of Okagbare, Gloria Asumu, Jennifer Madu and Agnes Osazuwa, finished last in 43.21seconds.

The event saw the U.S. team led by Allyson Felix, claim Gold in time of 41.01 seconds.

Jamaica and Great Britain ladies won silver and bronze after crossing the finish line in 41.36 seconds and 41.77 seconds respectively.

Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine and Canada, all finished ahead of the Nigerian ladies.

The U.S. gold came after it appeared dead when they failed the second baton pass in Thursday qualifier.

The team however, got a reprieve after judges upheld their protest that a Brazilian runner bumped Allyson Felix as she was preparing to make a hand-off to English Gardner.

The U.S. then took full advantage of their second chance, easily beating their target of 42.7 seconds in a bizarre solo rerun to qualify for the final.

It was also a superb outing for Jamaican Usain Bolt as he claimed his ninth Olympics gold in grand style following a successful outing of the Jamaica 4x100m relay team.

The 29-year-old Bolt, who claimed to have ended his Olympic career with his ninth gold, had won the 100m and 200m in Rio and is the only man to win all three sprint events at three Olympic Games.

He combined with Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade to finish in 37.27 seconds.

Japan won silver and the USA were disqualified to hand Canada bronze and lift Britain up to fifth.

Bolt hinted in February that he would retire after the 2017 World Championships in London and will not compete at Tokyo 2020, when he would be about 34 years.

His haul of nine gold medals is the joint highest among Olympic athletics, equal with USA sprinter and long jumper Carl Lewis and Finnish long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi.

Comments

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...

Fall of Assad is a Blow to Russia's Prestige

The potential fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-standing ally of Russia, would mark a turning point in Moscow’s global influence, particularly in the Middle East. Steve Rosenberg’s analysis underscores the profound implications for Russia, which has invested heavily—both militarily and politically—in ensuring Assad’s survival over the past decade. This article delves into why Assad’s downfall would strike at the core of Russian prestige and what it could mean for the broader geopolitical landscape. Russia's Strategic Commitment to Syria Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Russia has been a staunch supporter of Assad's regime. In 2015, Moscow launched a military intervention that proved decisive in stabilizing Assad’s hold on power. This intervention solidified Russia's role as a key power broker in the Middle East and demonstrated its willingness to project military power far beyond its borders. Syria is not just an ally for Russia; it is a...

Global Naija Info

Search This Blog