Blessing Okagbare
Despite not beginning the Diamond League season in
Doha, Qatar last week, Blessing Okagbare got her
season underway with a win at the 2015 Shanghai
Diamond League on Sunday.
Okagbare, who won the long jump and 200m events in
Shanghai last year, arrived at a time of 10.98 seconds
ahead a star-studded line-up that included Olympic
champion, Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce, and other Jamaicans
and Americans.
USA's Tori Bowie came second after finishing with a
personal best of 11.07 secs, Michelle-Lee Ahye of
Trinidad and Tobago, who clocked 11.13 secs,was third,
while Veronica Campbell-Brown was fourth with 11.22
secs and Fraser-Pryce finished fifth in 11.25secs.
Sunday's result was an improvement for Okagbare this
season after she finished second in a time of 11.05 secs
at the Jamaica International Invitational last week.
With the end of the Shanghai meet on Sunday, the
Diamond League series will resume on May 30 in
Eugene, USA.
"My race was pretty good," Okagbare said after the
event. "It is not easy to compete with the best of the
world – but I won. I focused on my start. Normally I
don't have the best start, but now I was leading from the
beginning."
Fraser-Pryce was not overly concerned with her 11.25
opener.
"It was one of those races," she said. "I have time to get
it right."
Asked if she would now have her work cut out in
defending her title in Beijing later in the year, Fraser-
Pryce said, "I always have my work cut out. No one
hands anything to you."
Triple jumper, Tosin Oke, has commended the organisers
of the Doha Diamond League. Oke, who went out in the
first round at the Doha meet, attributed his performance
to rustiness.
He tweeted on Sunday, "The @dldoha was truly world
class from the organisation, medical staff through to the
competition and performances. It was great to be a part.
"I did my best ever opener in round 1, but did not get to
show my worth that day due to being rusty. I am looking
forward to the next one."
In Port Harcourt, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria will
take a major step in its plan to develop young talents
and also provide a good training environment for star
athletes who are based in the country as it commissions
a High Performance Centre at the University of Port
Harcourt on May 25.
The centre which is equipped with standard facilities
also has quality accommodation for athletes. The
President of the Confederation of Africa Athletics Hamad
Kalkaba Malboum and the AFN president Solomon Ogba
are expected to declare the centre open.
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