The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has expressed confusion over the omission of women’s 100m national champion, Favour Ofili, from the 100m event at the Paris Olympics. Despite claims that she was registered for the 100m, 200m, and the women’s 4x100m relay, Ofili’s name is absent from the 100m entry list.
Ofili raised the alarm on Tuesday night, accusing the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the AFN of failing to register her. “It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 meters at this Olympic Games. I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. I have worked for 4 years to earn this opportunity. For what?” Ofili lamented.
Samuel Onikeku, the Technical Director of the AFN, expressed the federation’s shock at the development. “We registered Ofili for the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay. We don’t know how her name got missing in the 100m. This is our stand as a federation,” Onikeku said via AFN Media.
However, a check on the entry list published by World Athletics shows that Ofili will be competing in the 200m and women’s 4x100m relay.
Ofili qualified for the women’s 100m during the AFN National Trials held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City in June. She achieved a new personal best of 11.06s to secure her first national title.
In May, she hit the Olympics 200m mark at the Tom Jones Memorial Classic with a time of 22.33s.
The situation has left both the athlete and the federation baffled, with the hope that an explanation and resolution can be found swiftly.
punchng.com
