#Rio2016: Okagbare crashes out as Ese Brume shines

Nigeria’s sprint queen, Blessing Okagbare on Tuesday, August 16, failed to qualify for the women’s 200m final at the Rio 2016 Olympics Games. 

The 26-year-old finished fifth in heat one of the semifinals in 22.69s, where she competed against 100m champion, Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson,  Holland’s Dafne Schippers, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Germany’s Lisa Mayer.

It was Holland’s Dafne Schippers who won the heat and set the second fastest 200 metres time in the world this year, as she progressed to the final at Rio 2016 on Tuesday.

World champion Schippers delivered a timely reminder of her quality to surge to victory in the first of the three semi-finals at the Olympic Stadium, winning in 21.96s, just shy of her world-leading season’s best of 21.93s, ahead of Elaine Thompson of Jamaica.

Meanwhile, it was a good day for team Nigeria’s Ese Brume, who made it through to the final of the women’s long jump event at the on-going Rio 2016 Olympics.

Brume, the only African in the final, qualified as the sixth best jumper with a leap of 6.67m. The reigning Commonwealth Champion will hope she can do better in the final for a possible podium finish. The Women’s Long Jump final is fixed for 9.15 p.m. Brazil time, about 1.15 a.m. on Thursday in Nigeria.