Favour Ofili qualifies for women’s 200m final at the Paris Olympics, becoming the 1st Nigerian to do so since 1996

Favour Ofili qualifies for women's 200m final at the Paris Olympics, becoming the 1st Nigerian to do so since 1988

Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has secured a spot in the final of the women’s 200m event at the ongoing Olympic Games in Paris.

Favour Ofili finished second in her semifinal race with a season’s best time of 22.05 seconds, just behind Julien Alfred, who won the race with a time of 21.98 seconds on Monday.

Ofili’s achievement is historic, as she becomes the first Nigerian since Mary Onyali to qualify for the 200m final at the Olympics.

Onyali, who remains the only Nigerian to have medaled in the event, set a high standard for future generations at the 1996 Olympics which was held in Atalanta.

Favour Ofili missed out on the 100m event due to a ‘registration error’

The Nigerian sprinter, heavily considered one of the nation’s hopes of winning a medal at the games, was unexpectedly excluded from the women’s 100 meters race at the Paris Olympics due to what has been alleged as a registration error by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

Favour Ofili, who had secured her spot in the 100 meters by clinching the national title in April, was set to showcase her talent on the Olympic stage. However, she discovered that her name was not included in the final roster of competitors, despite her earlier qualifications.

The 22-year-old athlete revealed this setback on Instagram, expressing deep frustration over the missed opportunity. “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 my name,” she wrote.

In the men’s race, Udodi Onwuzurike will have another opportunity to advance to the semifinals of the 200m.

He finished fifth in his opening round heat with a time of 20.55 seconds and will compete in the Repechage Round, which is for athletes who did not secure automatic semifinal spots.

Notably, Divine Oduduru was the last Nigerian to reach the 200m semifinals, achieving this in both the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, though he did not make it to the final.