Since the competition began on July 26, Nigeria’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been disheartening. The country, which sent 26 competitors across 7 sports, is currently without a medal.
So far, several factors have contributed to this situation:
Disqualifications and Administrative Issues
Relay Team Disqualification:
Nigeria’s 4x400m men’s relay team was disqualified on August 9 after finishing second in their heat with a season’s best time of 2:59.81. However, it was determined that one of the runners stepped out of their lane, leading to the disqualification and the subsequent awarding of Nigeria’s spot in the final to South Africa.
Eliminations and Early Losses in Multiple Events:
Nigerian athletes have been eliminated from ten different events, including boxing, table tennis, badminton, and football. This includes notable losses in boxing, where athletes faced early defeats, and in table tennis, where both men’s and women’s singles competitors were eliminated in their opening matches.
- Boxing: Nigerian boxer Olaitan Olaore lost his opening fight 5-0, while Cynthia Ogunsemilore faced a provisional suspension due to a positive test for a banned substance.
- Table Tennis: The Nigerian duo of Aruna Quadri and Omotayo Olajide lost their opening matches, with scores of 4-3 and 4-1, respectively. In the women’s singles, Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello also exited early, losing their matches 4-0.
- Badminton: Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori, the captain and sole representative of Nigeria in men’s singles, lost both his first and second group matches, failing to advance.
- Swimming: Tobi Sijuade did not qualify for the semifinals in the men’s 50m freestyle, finishing third in his heat. Similarly, Adaku Nwandu, despite a notable performance, did not make it to the final in the women’s 50m freestyle after finishing second in her heat but not among the fastest overall.
- Women’s Football (Super Falcons): The team lost all three of its group matches without securing a point, concluding their campaign early and without any chance of advancing.
Administrative Lapses:
Administrative lapses, such as the exclusion of Favour Ofili, a national champion, from the women’s 100m race, also raised concerns about the effectiveness of Nigeria’s sports administration. Despite qualifying, she was not entered into the 100m race by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Olympic Committee.
She eventually secured a spot in the women’s 200m event, finishing second in the semi-finals with a season’s best time of 22.05 seconds. She became the first Nigerian woman since Mary Onyali to qualify for the 200m final at the Olympics. However, in the final, she finished sixth with a time of 22.20 seconds.
Despite her achievement, the athlete was left heartbroken, crying at the end of the race, with only Nigerian and non-Nigerian journalists to comfort her.
In addition, Ese Ukpeseraye, who made history as the first Nigerian cyclist to compete at the Olympic Games during the Paris 2024 Olympics, faced a lack of proper equipment. Ukpeseraye had to borrow a bicycle from the German cycling team to compete after she was called up on short notice to participate in the Keirin and Sprint events, which left her without a bicycle of her own.
Ukpeseraye competed in the women’s road race on August 4 but was unable to finish the event and did not register a score. She also participated in the Keirin and Sprint cycling events but failed to qualify by finishing sixth in the first round.
Notable Mentions
- Nigeria’s Women’s Basketball Team, D’Tigress:
Although D’Tigress secured no medals, they made history by becoming the first African team, male or female, to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Olympic basketball tournament by defeating Canada 79-70 in a decisive group match. Despite a strong start in the quarter-finals against the USA team, leading 26-17 at the end of the first quarter, they ultimately lost the match 88-74. - Tobi Amusan:
Amusan advanced to the semifinals after winning her heat with a time of 12.49 seconds. However, in the semifinals, she finished third in her heat with a time of 12.55 seconds. The performance placed her ninth overall, which was not enough to secure a spot in the final. - Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Oluchi Ochonogor:
These athletes also failed to secure a medal in the Women’s Long Jump final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with Ese Brume finishing in fifth place with a jump of 6.77 meters. - Ayomide Powei Bello and Beauty Akinaere Otuedo:
Both athletes have concluded their participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Bello finished sixth with a time of 49.24 seconds in the second quarterfinal, while Otuedo came in eighth in the third heat, crossing the line in 1:01.82. They were unable to advance to the finals. - Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye:
Adekuoroye was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the women’s freestyle 57 kg wrestling event. She faced China’s Hong Kexin and lost the match with a score of 10-8. Despite a strong effort, she was unable to secure a place in the medal rounds. - Rafiatu Folashade Lawal:
Lawal competed in the women’s 59 kg weightlifting event but finished in fifth place with a total lift of 230 kg. Though she showed great sportsmanship throughout the event, her score was not enough to secure a podium finish. - 4x100m Relay Teams:
Both Nigeria’s men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams faced disappointment at the Paris 2024 Olympics, failing to qualify for the finals. The Men’s 4x100m Relay Team finished seventh in their heat with a season’s best time of 38.20 seconds. However, they were unable to advance, finishing behind South Africa (37.94 seconds) and the USA (37.47 seconds).
The Women’s 4x100m Relay Team finished sixth in their heat with a season’s best time of 42.70 seconds. However, they missed out on both an automatic qualification spot and the fastest losers’ spots, preventing them from advancing to the finals.
Historically, Nigeria has struggled at the Olympics, securing no medals in seven editions. The country has only won a total of 27 medals since its Olympic debut in 1952, with its last gold medal won in 1996. Ultimately, the combination of disqualifications, early eliminations, and administrative negligence has left Nigeria without medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics
