By Omowumi Omotosho
The 2024 Paris Olympics have been a rollercoaster ride for Team Nigeria, with moments of brilliance overshadowed by a series of setbacks and unfulfilled expectations. The Games, set to conclude on August 11, have seen Nigerian athletes compete across various disciplines, but the overall performance has left much to be desired.
The undeniable highlight of Nigeria’s Olympic campaign has been the historic performance of the women’s basketball team, D’Tigress. Led by coach Rena Wakama, the team became the first African squad, male or female, to reach the quarterfinals in basketball. This achievement is particularly noteworthy, given their underdog status and the formidable opponents they faced.
D’Tigress started their campaign with a stunning upset, defeating world number three ranked Australia. They followed this with a loss to hosts France before another impressive victory over fifth-ranked Canada, securing their spot in the knockout stages. Although they eventually fell to the incredible highest-ranked United States in the quarter-finals with a score of 88-74, their performance throughout the tournament was nothing short of remarkable.
The team’s success has not gone unnoticed. Their achievement has seen them climb four places in the global power rankings, a testament to their improved standing in international basketball. The likes of Promise Amukamara, Adaora Elonu, and Ezinne Kalu have become household names, inspiring a new generation of female basketball players across Africa.
In athletics, Nigeria’s performance has been a mix of promising starts and disappointing finishes. Samuel Ogazi provided a rare bright spot in the men’s 400 metres. The 18-year-old sprinter made history by becoming the first Nigerian in 36 years to reach the final of the 400m event at the Olympic Games, following in the footsteps of the legendary Innocent Egbunike. Ogazi’s journey to this point has been remarkable, especially given his youth and relative inexperience compared to his competitors. His 2024 season saw him excel in the US college circuit, contribute to Nigeria’s relay teams, and win a bronze medal at the AfricanChampionships.
In the final, Ogazi finished seventh with a time of 44.73 seconds. While he did not medal, his performance was still impressive, particularly in a race where the winner, Quincy Hall of the USA, set a personal best of 43.40 seconds. Ogazi’s rise to becoming one of the top eight 400m runners in the world signals a bright future for the young athlete and rekindled hopes of Nigerian success in this event.
However, these hopes were dashed in other events. Tobi Amusan, the world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles and a strong medal contender, failed to qualify for the final. Amusan finished third in her heat with a time of 12.55 seconds, placing ninth overall in the semi-finals. This result was particularly disappointing given her world-leading time of 12.40 seconds earlier in the year at the Jamaican Athletics Invitational.Tobi-Amusan
In the women’s long jump, Ese Brume, another medal hopeful, finished fifth in the final with a jump of 6.70 metres. While Brume’s performance was commendable, it fell short of expectations, especially considering her African record and previous Olympic success.ese brume.
The men’s 4x400m relay team faced a heartbreaking disqualification. Emmanuel Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathanial, Dubem Amene, and Chidi Okezie had initially finished second in their heat with a time of 2:59.81, Nigeria’s first sub-three-minute performance in 24 years. However, a lane infringement led to their disqualification, denying them a chance to compete for a medal in the final.
Nigeria’s hopes in wrestling and taekwondo were quickly extinguished. In the women’s 62kg wrestling category, Esther Omolayo Kolawole lost 5-1 to Kyrgyzstan’s Aisuluu Tynybekova. The men’s 125kg freestyle wrestling saw Ashton Adeyemi Mutuwa suffer a heavy 11-0 defeat to Hungary’s Daniel Ligeti.
In taekwondo, Elizabeth Oluchi Anyanacho lost her second-round fight in the women’s -67kg event. Anyanacho fell 2-0 (3-3, 8-3) to China’s Jie Song, ending Nigeria’s medal hopes in this discipline.
One of the more painful outcomes came from the women’s football team, the Super Falcons, who had a tournament to forget. Despite high expectations following their impressive showing at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the team failed to progress past the group stages, losing all three of their matches.
Their campaign began with a narrow 1-0 loss to Brazil, followed by another 1-0 defeat to reigning world champions Spain. The final group game against Japan ended in a 3-1 loss, with Jennifer Echegini scoring Nigeria’s only goal of the tournament. The performance of star player Asisat Oshoala was particularly disappointing, as she failed to make a significant impact in any of the matches.
The underwhelming performance of Team Nigeria has raised questions about the preparation and support provided to the athletes. Sports Minister John Enoh addressed some of these concerns during a meeting with athletes at the Olympic Village. Enoh announced that home-based athletes would receive training grants equal to their foreign-based counterparts, a move aimed at ensuring fairness and boosting morale.
However, this announcement has come too late for many athletes whose Olympic dreams have already been dashed. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and other sporting bodies will need to conduct a thorough review of their preparation strategies and support systems to avoid similar disappointments in future competitions.
Despite the disappointments, there have been glimpses of potential that Nigeria can build upon for future Olympic Games. The performance of D’Tigress has shown that with proper preparation and support, Nigerian teams can compete at the highest level. Samuel Ogazi’s breakthrough in the 400 metres suggests that Nigeria’s rich history in this event could be revived with proper nurturing of talent.
In cycling, Ese Ukpeseraye made history as the only African cyclist among the 30 competitors at the Olympics. While she may not have won a medal, her participation alone is a significant step forward for Nigerian and African cycling.
The participation of three Nigerian athletes in the women’s long jump final – a first for the country in an individual event at the Olympics – also points to depth in certain disciplines that can be further developed.
The 2024 Paris Olympics have served as a wake-up call for Nigerian sports. While the historic achievement of D’Tigress and individual bright spots like Samuel Ogazi’s 400m final appearance are cause for celebration, the overall performance falls short of Nigeria’s potential as a sporting nation. Lapses from sports administrators, which led to the unfortunate omission of Favour Ofili’s name from the 100m roster for which she qualified and the lack of the required bicycle for Ukpeseraye’s cycling event are international embarrassments that should never be allowed to recur. Enoh has promised to investigate Ofili’s exclusion and Nigerians will be interested in knowing the outcome of this investigation.
Moving forward, there needs to be a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s sports development programmes, from grassroots to elite level. This should include improved talent identification and nurturing systems, better funding and facilities for athletes’ training, more opportunities for international exposure and competition, enhanced support systems for athletes, including medical, psychological, and nutritional support, and a long-term strategy for each sport, with clear targets and milestones.
The performances in Paris have shown that Nigerian athletes have the potential to compete with the best in the world. However, turning this potential into consistent success on the Olympic stage will require a concerted effort from sports administrators, coaches, athletes, and the government.
As the curtain falls on the Paris Olympics, Team Nigeria will return home with valuable lessons learned. The challenge now is to translate these lessons into action, laying the groundwork for a stronger showing at future Olympic Games. With the right approach, Nigeria can aspire to not just participate in Olympic events, but to consistently challenge for medals across a wide range of disciplines.
