Blessing Okagbare Gets Car gift

Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Board Member, Ibrahim Gusau, yesterday in Abuja fulfilled his pledge of a brand new Hyundai car to reigning Commonwealth Games fastest woman, Blessing Okagbare.

Gusau, a one-time AFN vice president who is also a member of the House of Representatives had promised to give Okagbare a car gift if she makes history as the second Nigerian woman to win the 100m gold at the Commonwealth Games.

Okagbare did not only fulfilled Gusau's expectations in Glasgow, Scotland, venue of the 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games last July/August, she went a step further by becoming the first Nigerian woman to win the 200m gold and only one of four athletes to have successfully completed a sprints double at the Games.

At a brief ceremony in front of the office of the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Gbenga Elegbeleye, at the Abuja National Stadium, an excited Gusau expressed delight that Okagbare has continued to put Nigeria's name firmly on the world map.
Elegbeleye also echoed Gusau's sentiments as he extolled the virtues of the sprint queen who rose to national prominence in 2007 when she became the first Nigerian triple jumper to legally hit the 14m mark by setting then 14.13m national record at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

Okagbare would go on to set a new 10.79 seconds 100m African record, a new 10.85 seconds Commonwealth Games record and also became the second Nigerian nay African woman to hit the 7m mark in the long jump after her compatriot, Chioma Ajunwa did to win the 1996 Olympic gold in Atlanta, USA.

In the just ended 2014 season she also raced into history books as Nigeria's third fastest 200m runner of all time following her 22.23 personal best setting run in May in Eugene, USA.

Present at the presentation ceremony was triple world 100m champion and 200 Olympics sprint king, American Maurice Green.