After making the final of the women’s long jump event of the 2024 Olympic Games alongside Ese Brume and Prestina Ochonogor, Ruth Usoro has predicted a bright future for Nigeria in the event, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Usoro, Brume, and Ochonogor made history in Paris by becoming the first Nigerian trio to make the final of an individual event at the Olympics.
Before them, the last time Nigeria had more than one athlete in an athletics Olympic final was in Atlanta in 1996, when Falilat Ogunkoya and Fatimat Yusuf both made the women’s 400m final.
They, however, missed out on the podium, and Nigeria ended the games without a medal.
Brume finished fifth with a mark of 6.70m, while Usoro jumped 6.58m to finish 10th, and Ochonogor was 12th with her 6.24m jump.
Despite their inability to claim a spot on the podium, the African Games gold medallist in the triple jump believes that the future is bright for Nigeria in the event.
“That was the plan I had in my head all along. I believed that the three of us could get to the final, and history has been made,” Usoro told Making of Champions.
“This is just the beginning for Nigerian athletes in the long jump, especially for women. So, I believe that there will be many more to come.
“I didn’t have a lot this season as per competition. I’ve learnt resilience here, not giving up despite the whole circumstance,” she added.
USA’s Tara Davies-Woodhall won the event with a jump of 7.10m, followed by Germany’s Malaika Mihambo (6.98m) and Jasmine Moore of the USA in third with 6.96m.
Brume, 28, was a bronze medallist at Tokyo 2020.
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