Blessing Okagbare

Blessing Okagbare

Okagbare during the 200 m heat at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1988-10-09) 9 October 1988 (age 36) Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria
Years active	2007–present
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight	71 kg (157 lb)[1]
Sport
Country	Nigeria
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Long jump, sprints
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	100 m: 10.79 (2013, NR) 200 m: 22.04 (2018, AR) Long jump: 7.00 m (2013)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Nigeria Olympic Games 2008 Beijing Long jump World Championships 2013 Moscow Long jump 2013 Moscow 200 m Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow 100 m 2014 Glasgow 200 m 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m relay 2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m relay All-Africa Games 2011 Maputo Long jump 2011 Maputo 4×100 m relay 2015 Brazzaville 4×100 m relay 2007 Algiers Long jump 2011 Maputo 100 m African Championships 2010 Nairobi 100 m 2010 Nairobi Long jump 2010 Nairobi 4×100 m relay 2014 Marrakesh 100 m 2014 Marrakesh 4×100 m relay 2018 Asaba 4×100 m relay 2012 Benin 100 m World Relays 2015 Nassau 4×200 m relay Continental Cup 2010 Split 100 m

Blessing Oghnewresem Okagbare-Otegheri (born 9 October 1988) is a former Nigerian track and field athlete who specialized in long jump and sprints. She is an Olympic and World Championships medallist in the long jump and a world medalist in the 200 metres. Okagbare also holds the women's 100 metres Commonwealth Games record at 10.85 seconds. She is currently serving a 10-year ban for breaching multiple World Athletics anti-doping rules. Her ban expires on 30 July 2032.^[2]

Her 100 m best of 10.79 made her the African record holder for the event until it was eclipsed by Murielle Ahouré in 2016. On June 17, 2021, Okagbare ran a wind-aided 10.63 100 m.^[3] She was the African record holder over the 200 m with a time of 22.04 seconds in 2018, thus making her the second-fastest African female athlete over the distance behind Christine Mboma, who ran an African record of 21.78 s in 2021. Okagbare was the African 100 m and long jump champion in 2010. She has also won medals at the All-Africa Games, IAAF Continental Cup and World Relays.

Okagbare was suspended after failing a drugs test on 31 July 2021 during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.^[4] On 18 February 2022 it was announced that she had been banned from athletics for a period of 10 years commencing 30 July 2021 for multiple breaches of World Athletics Anti-Doping rules.^[2] Following a hearing at the Athletics Integrity Unit that found her to have taken both human growth hormone and EPO over an extended period, and to have failed to cooperate with the investigation, Okagbare was banned for ten years, effectively ending her athletics career in disgrace.^[5] On 23 June 2022, the AIU announced that Okagbare's ban had been extended by a year for further anti-doping offences.^[6]

Career

Early life

Of Urhobo heritage,^[7] Okagbare was born in Sapele, Delta, in Nigeria. Given her athletic physique, teachers and family encouraged her to take up sports. Initially, she played football as a teenager at her high school and later, in 2004, she began to take an interest in track and field. She participated in several disciplines early on, competing in the long jump, triple jump and high jump events at the Nigerian school championships and winning a medal in each. On the senior national stage, she was a triple jump bronze medalist at the 2004 Nigerian National Sports Festival. Okagbare's first international outing came at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics, where she performed in the qualifying rounds of both the long and triple jump competitions.^[8]

In May 2007, at the All-Africa Games trials in Lagos, she established a Nigerian record of 14.13 meters in the triple jump.^[9] At the 2007 All-Africa Games she won the silver medal in the long jump^[10] and finished fourth in the triple jump.^[11] In the latter competition her Nigerian record was beaten by Chinonye Ohadugha, who jumped 14.21 meters.

Olympic and African medals

As a 19-year-old, she won a silver medal in the women's long jump event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.^[12] She was selected to compete at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics but did not start either the 100 m or long jump.

Okagbare scored a 100 m/long jump double at the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship for University of Texas at El Paso, completing an undefeated collegiate streak for the UTEP Miners that year.^[13] She won the Nigerian 100 m title in 2010, running a time of 11.04 seconds, and stated that she was opting out of the long jump in order to save herself for the upcoming African championships.^[14]

At the African Championships in 2010, she won gold in the long jump again with a distance of 6.62 m while her compatriot Comfort Onyali took silver. Okagbare also won gold in the 100 m distance with a run of 11.03 s flat, while Gabon's Ruddy Zang Milama and compatriot Oludamola Osayomi won silver and bronze with runs of 11.15 s and 11.22 s respectively. She won her third gold at the end of the championship as part of the Nigerian 4×100 m women's relay team. The team of Okagbare, Osayomi, Lawretta Ozoh and Agnes Osazuwa set a new championship record with a run of 43.43 s, more than a full second ahead of the silver-winning Cameroonian quartet.

In 2011, Okagbare continued to build on her earlier endeavours by establishing herself as a 100 m runner. At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Okagbare placed fifth in the 100 m final with a run of 11.12 s. However, she did not make it to the final of the long jump as her best jump of 6.36 m was not enough to get her out of her qualifying group.^[15] She concluded her 2011 season by winning three medals at the All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique. She won silver in the 100 m behind compatriot Oludamola Osayomi with a run of 11.01 s and gold in the long jump with a jump of 6.50 m. She was part of the Nigerian quartet that won gold in the 4 × 100 m with a time of 43.34.

2012 was a busy year for Okagbare. She jumped 6.97 m in the long jump in Calabar during the Nigerian championship. She won new continental medals at the 2012 African Championships in Porto-Novo. In the 100 m, she was beaten to silver by Zang Milama, while in the long jump, she claimed gold with a jump of 6.96 m.

London 2012 and 2013 World Championships

At London 2012, Okagbare participated in her second Olympic Games. Going into the Olympics, she had run several fast 100 m races, and there was much anticipation and hope of a medal. However, the 2012 Olympics were not as successful for Okagbare as her 2008 outing. She established a new personal best of 10.92 s in the 100 m semi-final but placed eighth in the final with a run of 11.01 s.

2013 would prove to be a breakthrough year for Okagbare. In April 2013, in Walnut, California, Blessing Okagbare set a personal record in the 200 m with a time of 22.31 s. Then, in July, she improved her personal best in the long jump with successive jumps of 6.98 m at the Athletissima meet in Lausanne and 7.00 m during the Monaco Herculis meet. On 27 July 2013, at the London Anniversary Games, Okagbare set a new African record of 10.86 s in her 100 m race. She won the final about an hour later, setting a new African record of 10.79, in a race where she beat reigning 100 m Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Okagbare's record eclipsed the existing record by compatriot Glory Alozie of 10.90 s, which had stood since 1998.^[16]

At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Okagbare won the silver medal in the long jump. Her jump of 6.99 m put her in second place behind Brittney Reese of the United States by only two centimeters.^[17] In the 100 m final, she placed sixth with a run of 11.04 s and also placed third in the 200 m race.

2014 Commonwealth Games

Okagbare participated in both the 100m and 200m races. She made it through to the finals of the 100m and won with a time of 10.85 seconds, breaking the games record of 10.91 seconds set by Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie 12 years earlier at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Okagbare also won the gold medal in the 200, with a time of 22.25 seconds. In doing so, she became the fourth woman to win the 100m and 200m double at the Commonwealth Games.

2015 World Relays and African Games

She ran the lead-off leg in the 4 × 200 m at the 2015 World Relays. The team consisting of Okagbare, Regina George, Dominique Duncan and Christy Udoh won the race and set an African Record in the process.^[18] She did not appear in the 200 meters at the IAAF World Championships or the All Africa Games due to a hamstring injury she sustained while finishing last in the final of the 100 meters at the World Championships. At the end of the season, she did participate in the IAAF Diamond League meet, the Weltklasse Zürich in Zurich, finishing second in the 100 meters. The Director General of Nigeria's National Sports Commission Al Hassan Yakmu was angered by the perceived snub:

"I was shocked when I saw Okagbare competing in the Diamond League in Zurich last Thursday. I was wondering if it was the same Okagbare who refused to compete for Nigeria in the 200m event at the IAAF World Championship in Beijing. She even opted out of Team Nigeria for the All-Africa Games in Congo. Why? I have said it times without number that any athlete who feels too big to compete for Nigeria in the All-Africa Games should not bother about the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. No athlete is bigger than Nigeria.

— Al Hassan Yakmu^[19]

It was initially reported that Okagbare was banned from representing Nigeria at the 2016 Olympics.^[20] The Athletics Federation of Nigeria eventually refuted the claim.^[21] Though she opted out of the individual events at the All-Africa Games, she did run in the 4 × 100 m relay and help the Nigerian team (Cecilia Francis, Okagbare, Ngozi Onwumere and Lawretta Ozoh) secure the gold medal.

2016 Rio Olympics

Blessing had a disappointing show at the 2016 Rio Olympics, as she finished without a single medal. She never made it to the final but was ranked 3rd in the 100m semifinal finishing at 11.09s, and ranked 8th with her teammates in the final of the 4 × 100 m relay. ^[22]

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Okagbare won her first round heat in the 100 metres with a time of 11.05. She was subsequently suspended on 31 July 2021 after failing a drug test taken on 19 July 2021, which tested positive for human growth hormone.^[23][24]

2022 Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) ban

On 18 February 2022, the AIU announced that Okagbare had been given a 10-year ban for “multiple breaches of anti-doping rules”.

The athletics body said Okagbare was banned for five years for the use of multiple prohibited substances and another five years for not cooperating with the investigation.

On 19 February 2022, the Nigerian sprinter reacted to the sentence by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) by writing a statement on her verified Instagram page that her lawyers are currently studying the allegations, and she will inform the people on how it goes.^[25]

Personal life

In September 2014, she married Nigerian footballer Igho Otegheri.^[26]

Statistics

Personal bests

• 60 metres – 7.10 (Fayetteville, AR 2021)

• 100 metres – 10.79 (+1.1 m/s, London 2013) NR
• 200 metres – 22.04 (Abilene, TX 2018)
• Long jump – 7.00 m (22 ft 11+1⁄2 in) (Monaco 2013)
• Triple jump – 14.13 m (46 ft 4+1⁄4 in) (Lagos 2007) AU20R

Her mark of 14.13 m in the triple jump is the African under-20 record. Her best of 10.79 in the 100 m was the African senior record from 27 July 2013 to 11 June 2016, when it was beaten by Ivorian athlete Murielle Ahouré.^[27]

International competitions

Representing  Nigeria

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
2006	World Junior Championships	Beijing, China	6th (q)	Long jump	5.97 m
			8th (q)	Triple jump	12.81 m
2007	All-Africa Games	Algiers, Algeria	2nd	Long jump	6.46 m
			4th	Triple jump	13.77 m
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	2nd	Long jump	6.91 m
2010	African Championships	Nairobi, Kenya	1st	100 m	11.03
			1st	Long jump	6.62 m
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	43.45 CR
	Continental Cup	Split, Croatia	3rd	100 m	11.14
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	43.88
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	5th	100 m	11.12
			9th (q)	Long jump	6.36 m
			6th	4 × 100 m relay	42.93
	All-Africa Games	Maputo, Mozambique	2nd	100 m	11.01 w
			1st	Long jump	6.50 m w
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	43.34
2012	African Championships	Porto-Novo, Benin	2nd	100 m	11.18
			1st	Long jump	6.96 m
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	8th	100 m	11.01
			7th (q)	Long jump	6.34 m
			4th	4 × 100 m relay	42.64
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	6th	100 m	11.04
			3rd	200 m	22.32
			2nd	Long jump	6.99 m
2014	World Relays	Nassau, Bahamas	4th	4 × 100 m relay	42.67
	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, United Kingdom	1st	100 m	10.85 GR
			1st	200 m	22.25
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	42.92
	African Championships	Marrakesh, Morocco	1st	100 m	11.00
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	43.56
2015	World Relays	Nassau, Bahamas	7th	4 × 100 m relay	42.99
			1st	4 × 200 m relay	1:30.52
	World Championships	Beijing, China	8th	100 m	11.02
	African Games	Brazzaville, Congo	1st	4 × 100 m relay	43.10
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	3rd (sf)	100 m	11.09
			5th (sf)	200 m	22.69
			8th	4 × 100 m relay	43.21
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	4th (sf)	100 m	11.08
			8th	Long jump	6.55 m
2018	Commonwealth Games	Gold Coast, Australia	3rd	4 × 100 m relay	42.75
	African Championships	Asaba, Nigeria	1st	4 × 100 m relay	43.77
2019	African Games	Rabat, Morocco	4th (h)	100 m	11.53^1
			1st (h)	4 × 100 m relay	43.49
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	–	200 m	DQ

¹Disqualified in the semifinal

Circuit wins

100 m

• Meeting Sport Solidarietà: 2010
• London Grand Prix: 2012, 2013
• Herculis: 2012
• IAAF World Challenge Beijing: 2013
• Jamaica International Invitational: 2014
• Shanghai Golden Grand Prix: 2015
• Meeting de Atletismo Madrid: 2016
• Gyulai István Memorial: 2016, 2017
• Marseille Meeting International: 2017
• Hanžeković Memorial: 2017
• Texas Relays: 2018

200 m

• Mt. SAC Relays: 2013
• British Grand Prix: 2013
• Shanghai Golden Grand Prix: 2014
• Meeting Areva: 2014
• Michael Johnson Classic: 2016
• Folksam Grand Prix: 2016
• KBC Night of Athletics: 2016

Long jump

• Gyulai István Memorial: 2011
• Athletissima: 2013
• Herculis: 2013
• Shanghai Golden Grand Prix: 2014

National and NCAA titles

• Nigerian Athletics Championships
  • 100 metres: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016
  • 200 metres: 2013, 2014, 2016
  • Long jump: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013
  • Triple jump: 2007, 2008
• NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
  • 100 metres: 2010
  • Long jump: 2010
• NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships
  • 60 metres: 2010

Seasonal bests

Year	100 metres	200 metres	Long jump	Triple jump
2021	10.90	22.59
2020	—
2019	11.04	22.05
2018	10.90	22.04
2017	10.99	22.87	6.77
2016	11.02	22.58	6.73
2015	10.80	22.67	6.66
2014	10.85	22.23	6.86
2013	10.79	22.31	7.00
2012	10.92	22.63	6.97
2011	11.08	22.94	6.78
2010	11.00	22.71	6.88	12.80
2009	11.16		6.73	13.59
2008		23.76	6.91	14.07
2007			6.51	14.13
2006			6.16	13.38

See also

• 2018 in 100 meters
• List of Olympic medalists in athletics (women)
• List of Commonwealth Games medalists in athletics (women)
• List of World Championships in Athletics medalists (women)
• List of African Games medalists in athletics (women)
• List of champions of the African Championships in Athletics
• List of 2008 Summer Olympics medal winners
• List of Nigerian sportspeople
• 200 meters at the World Championships in Athletics
• Long jump at the Olympics

References

1. Blessing Okagbare. Sports Reference. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
2. "The Disciplinary Tribunal has banned Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare for 10 years for multiple breaches of the @WorldAthletics Anti-Doping Rules". Twitter.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
3. Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare runs second fastest 100m all-time . Boxscore World Sportswire (2021-06-18). Retrieved 2021-06-21.
4. "BLESSING OKAGBARE OF NIGERIA PROVISIONALLY SUSPENDED AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE | Athletics Integrity Unit" (PDF). Athleticsintegrity.org. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
5. "Disciplinary Tribunal hands Blessing Okagbare a 10-year ban for multiple breaches of the Anti-Doping Rules" (PDF). Athleticsintegrity.org. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
6. "AIU" (PDF).
7. Urhobo union salutes Okagbare. Odili (2018-03-27). Retrieved 2018-05-21.
8. Omogbeja, Yomi (2013-08-06). Focus on Athletes biography Archived 2014-08-27 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-11-25.
9. "Ohadugha is new record holder in triple jump". Daily Triumph. 20 July 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
10. "COJA 2007 : Site Officiel des 9 èmes jeux africains - Alger du 11 AU 23 juillet 2007". 10 October 2007. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
11. "9th All Africa Games - Algiers 2007". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
12. "Women's Long Jump: Maggi ends Lebedeva's reign". Beijing 2008. 22 August 2008. Archived from the original on 1 September 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
13. Dunaway, James (2010-06-13). Impressive doubles highlight NCAA championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-07-23.
14. Ouma, Mark (2010-06-27). Okagbare the standout in rainy Calabar – Nigerian championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-07-23.
15. "iaaf.org - International Association of Athletics Federations". Daegu2011.iaaf.org. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
16. Aliogo, Ugo (3 August 2013). "Nigeria: Okagbare - Peaking Ahead of World Championship (Page 1 of 3)". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
17. "Bolt's 100m gold highlights dramatic evening – Day 2 wrap, Moscow 2013". Iaaf.org. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
18. Mulkeen, Jon (3 May 2015). "IAAF: Women's 4x200m – IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015| News | iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
19. "Nigerian star Blessing Okagbare "banned" from Rio 2016 after injury row". Insidethegames.biz. 9 September 2015.
20. "Why Nigeria Banned Blessing Okagbare | Nigerian Entertainment Today - Nigeria's Number 1 Entertainment Daily". Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
21. Maduewesi, Christopher (9 September 2015). "Blessing Okagbare NOT banned from 2016 Olympics". Makingofchamps.com. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
22. "Who is Your Nigeria's Best Athlete at the 2016 RIO Olympic? Check the List". get9jasports.blogspot.com. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
23. "BLESSING OKAGBARE OF NIGERIA PROVISIONALLY SUSPENDED AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE | Athletics Integrity Unit" (PDF). Athleticsintegrity.org. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
24. "Athletics-Nigerian sprinter Okagbare out of Tokyo Games after failing drugs test". Reuters.com. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
25. "Blessing Okagbare Reacts To 10-Year Ban For Doping". Naijababa.com. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
26. "Africa's Fastest Woman Blessing Okagbare is Married!". Bellanaija.com. 9 November 2014.
27. Blessing Okagbare shatters Mary Onyali’s 22-year old 200m African Record in Texas. Athletics Africa (2016-03-26). Retrieved 2018-05-21.

External links

• Blessing Okagbare at World Athletics
• Blessing Okagbare at Diamond League
• Blessing Okagbare at TFRRS.org
• Blessing Okagbare at Olympics.com
• Blessing Okagbare at Olympedia

Records
Preceded by Chioma Ajunwa	Women's 100 m African Record Holder 27 July 2013 – 11 June 2016	Succeeded by Murielle Ahouré
Preceded by Evette de Klerk	Women's 200 m African Record Holder 24 March 2018–	Succeeded by Incumbent