Knowing Favour Ofili: Nigeria’s sprint sensation making history at the Paris Olympics

By solacebase.com On Aug 7, 2024

Knowing Favour Ofili: Nigeria's sprint sensation making history at the Paris Olympics

By Quadri Adejumo

Favour Ofili is a Nigerian sprinter known for her exceptional performances in the track and field sports. Ofili has represented Nigeria in various international events, including the World Athletics Championships and the Olympics. At the Paris Olympics, the athlete finished 6th in the final of women’s 200m with a time of 22.2, missing out on bronze medal by 0.4 seconds.

Early life and educational background

Born on December 31, 2002 and hails from Delta State, the Nigerian had her primary and secondary school education in Delta State, Nigeria, before leaving for the United States of America on a scholarship to Louisiana State University, where she competes for the school athletics team.

Ofili has also competed collegiately in the United States, achieving significant success in NCAA competitions.

The 5 feet 7 inches athlete is known for her speed, versatility, as she’s become one of the leading athletes in women’s sprinting on the global stage.

Making waves at the Paris Olympics, with her speed and excellence in the world of athletics, let’s take a closer look at her career journey.

Favour Ofili’s early success in athletics caught the attention of coaches, leading to her selection for Nigeria’s junior national team. Ofili’s first major breakthrough came at the African Youth Games, where she showcased her talent by winning multiple laurels for the country.

Career breakthrough

At the 2019 African Games held in Rabat, Morocco, Ofili’s career took a significant leap. She won a silver medal in the 400 meters, this achievement placed her on the radar of international scouts and universities looking for talented athletes.

She then moved to the United States, enrolling at Louisiana State University (LSU). At LSU, Ofili quickly adapted to the rigors of NCAA competitions, consistently delivering standout performances. Her dominance in the NCAA was evident when she claimed titles at the SEC Championships and earned All-American honors.

For Nigeria, she competed at the World Athletics Championships and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Although she did not win a medal at these events, she showed potential of becoming one of the best.

Ofili won the 400-metre silver medal at the 2019 African Games. She is also the 2019 African Youth champion in the 200 and 400 metres. With a time of 21.96, she holds both the national and Under-20 records for the 200-metre distance, becoming the first female athlete from Nigeria to break the 22-second barrier.

In February 2022, Ofili bettered her African indoor 200m record three times, improving it ultimately to 22.46s. She held the NCAA collegiate record in the outdoor event with her time of 21.96s set on 15 April that year, until Abby Steiner broke the record two months later.

Ofili’s mark set at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida surpassed 14-year-old Blessing Okagbare’s Nigerian record and was also an African record at the time.

She also became the second-fastest indoor 200m runner in collegiate history (after Steiner) in February 2023, setting an even better African indoor record of 22.36s at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Record-breaking Olympic performance

Currently representing Nigeria at Olympic Games in Paris, even after she wasn’t registered for the 100 metres race by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC). However, she has achieved greatness in the 400m, 100×100 relay and the 200 metre race which she has impressively advanced to the next stage of the competition.

On 31st of July, 2014, reports emerged that the athlete will not compete in the women’s 100 Metre race at Paris Olympics due to the failure of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), the Nigeria body tasked with the responsibility of conducting the affairs of the athletes that are representing Nigeria at the on-going Olympic Games in Paris.

Ofili voiced her frustration, saying in a X post; “It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 metres at this Olympic Games. I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. I have worked for four years to earn this opportunity. For what?”

She added that she also suffered similar occurrences at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, further stating on her X; “Please remember, in the last Olympic Games, I was not able to compete because AFN, NADC and NOC failed to release funds for athletes to be tested, which made 14 Nigerian athletes that qualified to not compete.”

Despite this, Ofili cruised ahead, breaking records at the Paris Olympics. Ofili secured a spot in the final of the women’s 200m event, finishing second with a season’s best time of 22.05s behind Julien Alfred, who won the first semi final race with a time of 21.98s on Monday.

Ofili’s achievement marks a historic milestone, as she becomes the first Nigerian since Mary Onyali to qualify for the 200m final, at the Olympics. Ofili then finished 6th in the final of the 200m with a time of 22.2.

As Favour Ofili continues to represent Nigeria, winning laurels and putting the country on the global map, her future prospects in athletics look incredibly bright.

She is poised to achieve even greater success, becoming an ambassador for Nigerian athletics and inspiring future generations.

Favour Ofili