Mary Onyali-Omagbemi

Mary Onyali

Mary Onyali-Omagbemi at the 2023 African Games in Accra, Ghana.
Personal information
Born	(1968-02-03) 3 February 1968 (age 56)
Medal record Women's Athletics Representing  Nigeria Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona 4x100 m relay 1996 Atlanta 200 m World Junior Championships 1986 Athens 200 m 1986 Athens 4x100 m relay Commonwealth Games 1994 Victoria 100 m 1994 Victoria 200m 1994 Victoria 4 × 100 m relay

Nkemdilim “Mary” Onyali-Omagbemi (née Onyali, born 3 February 1968) is a Nigerian former sprinter, she was a 5x Olympian 1988 - 2004. She had won the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1992 Olympic Games and in the 200 m at the 1996 Olympic Games. She also won the 1994 Commonwealth Games 100 metres title.

Career

Mary being honoured at the 2023 African Games in Accra, Ghana.

Onyali-Omagbemi performed especially well in the All-Africa Games, winning a total of 7 individual medals in the short sprints. She won 100 m in 1991, 1995 and 2003 and took a bronze medal in 1987. Gold medals in 200 m were taken in 1987, 1995 and 2003. Furthermore, the Nigerian 4 × 100 m relay team won all races between 1987 and 2003, at the African Games.

Born Mary Onyali, by the time of the 2000 Olympics she was known as Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, having married fellow Nigerian sprinter Victor Omagbemi.

Competing for the Texas Southern Tigers track and field program, she won an NCAA title in the 200 metres.^[1]

Her consecutive Olympic appearances from 1988 to 2004 made her the first Nigerian to compete at five Olympics.^[2] This feat was equalled by table tennis players Bose Kaffo and Segun Toriola four years later in Beijing, PR China. Mary Onyali-Omagbemi currently serves as the Special Adviser (Technical) to the Director General of the National Sports Commission in Nigeria,^[3] and is a part of the consultation committee for the proposed Sports University of Nigeria, Idumuje-Ugboko.

On the 21st of September 2020, she was made one of the ambassadors of the re-branded National Principal's Cup; a grassroots championship tournament that was popular across Nigeria that discovered many talents, some who were former Super Eagles stars.^[4]

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Nigeria
1986	World Junior Championships	Athens, Greece	1st (sf)[5]	100m	11.42 w (wind: +2.5 m/s)
			2nd	200m	23.30 (wind: +0.6 m/s)
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	44.13
1987	World Indoor Championships	Indianapolis, United States	5th	200 m	23.56
	All-Africa Games	Nairobi, Kenya	3rd	100 m	11.47
			1st	200 m	22.66
	World Championships	Rome, Italy	6th	200 m	22.52
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	semi-finals	200 m	22.43
			heats	4 × 400 m	3:30.21
1989	World Cup	Barcelona, Spain	2nd	100 m	11.23
			2nd	200 m	22.82
			—	4 × 100 m	DNF
1991	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	7th	100 m	11.39
			4th	4 × 100 m	42.77
			5th	4 × 400 m	3:24.45
	All-Africa Games	Cairo, Egypt	1st	100 m	11.12
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	7th	100 m	11.15
			semi-finals	200 m	22.60
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	42.81
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	5th	100 m	11.05
			5th	200 m	22.32
1994	Commonwealth Games	Victoria, Canada	1st	100 m	11.06
			2nd	200 m	22.35
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	42.99
	World Cup	London, United Kingdom	3rd	100 m	11.52
			4th	200 m	22.82
			1st	4 × 100 m	42.92
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	7th	100 m	11.19
			6th	200 m	22.71
	All-Africa Games	Harare, Zimbabwe	1st	100 m	11.18
			1st	200 m	22.75
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	7th	100 m	11.13
			3rd	200 m	22.38
			5th	4 × 100 m	42.56
1998	World Cup	Johannesburg, South Africa	3rd	100 m	11.05
			4th	4 × 100 m	42.91
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	quarter-finals	100 m	11.40
			quarter-finals	200 m	23.03
			7th	4 × 100 m	44.05
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	semi-finals	100 m	11.35
			semi-finals	200 m	22.97
	All-Africa Games	Abuja, Nigeria	1st	100 m	11.12
			1st	200 m	23.09
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	quarter-finals	200 m	23.75

Personal bests

• 100 metres - 10.97 (1993)
• 200 metres - 22.07 (1996)
• 400 metres - 54.21 (2000)

See also

• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
• List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games

References

1. "Mary Onyali (1996) - Texas Southern Hall of Fame". Texas Southern University Athletics. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
2. "Dare appoints Mary Onyali, ex-sprinter, as special adviser". TheCable. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
3. "That long chat with Mary Onyali!". Vanguard Newspapers. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
4. "Organisers unveil Amokachi, Dosu, Onyali ambassadors".
5. Disqualified in the final.

External links

• Mary Onyali-Omagbemi at World Athletics

Sporting positions
Preceded by Gwen Torrence	Women's 200 m Best Year Performance alongside Marie-José Pérec 1996	Succeeded by Marion Jones
Olympic Games
Preceded by Innocent Egbunike	Flagbearer for  Nigeria Atlanta 1996	Succeeded by Sunday Bada
Preceded by Sunday Bada	Flagbearer for  Nigeria Athens 2004	Succeeded by Bose Kaffo