Nigeria will feature two women in the long jump competition’s final for the first time since the Athletics Championships’ inception.
The duo of Ese Brume and Ruth Usoro made sure of this by equalling the feat accomplished by the men’s duo of Yusuf Alli and Paul Emordi back in 1987, in Rome, Italy, at the second edition of the championships.
While both Alli and Emordi did not advance to final eight, where they could target podium appearances, Brume and Usoro will be confident of their chances.
For Brume, this will be her second appearance in the final after three trips to Athletics’ flagship event. In 2017 in London, the 26-year-old did not make it to the final but leapt 6.89m in the qualifying round two years later to qualify for her first final.
Nigeria’s Ese Brume competes in the women’s long jump qualification during the Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on July 23, 2022. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)
In the final, she leapt a distance of 6.91m in the second round, which put her in the gold medal position, before the duo of Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk and Malaika Mihambo of Germany leapt farther (6.92m and 7.30m respectively) to win the silver and the gold medal.
Brume picked the bronze medal and became the second Nigerian woman after Blessing Okagbare to win a medal in the event at the Championships.
In Oregon, on Saturday, the reigning African record holder leapt a distance of 6.82m in her third and final attempt to secure an automatic ticket to the final scheduled for the final day of the championships. It was the third-longest jump in qualifying behind USA’s Quanesha Burks (6.86m) and reigning world champion, Mihambo (6.84m).
Brume will now be seeking to become the first Nigerian to win two medals at back-to-back editions of the Championships.
Nigeria’s Ruth Usoro competes in the women’s long jump qualification during the Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on July 23, 2022. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP)
Usoro broke a record by competing in both the triple jump and long jump events at the same championships, making her the first Nigerian, male or female, to do so.
The 24-year-old had to rely on her third and final leap (6.69m) to ensure her passage into her first Athletics Championships final after opening with a foul and 6.25m in the second round.
