Okagbare Runs 22.59 Personal Season’s Best In Ostrava, Heads to London for Diamond League

Nigeria’s Olympics, World and Commonwealth Games medallist, Blessing Okagbare, yesterday raced to a new 22.59 seconds personal season’s best to place second at the 60th Ostrava Golden Spike held at the Mestský Stadion in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

The time, into a -1.1mps headwind is the fastest the Nigerian has ran legally in the three 200m races she has competed in so far this term as she continues with her preparations for a return to a global track final since she finished in eighth place at the 100m event at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China in 2015.

Okagbare was however beaten to the first position by new sprint sensation, Sha’Carri Richardson who ran 22.35 seconds to defeat a near stacked field that also included Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland (22.85) and the flying Dutch woman, Dafne Schippers who came in fourth (22.91).

Richardson who is beginning to fulfil the awesome potential she showed when she ran 10.75 seconds to win the NCAA 100m final in 2019 is second on the World top list (22.11) behind Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas (22.03) with Okagbare 12th with her 22.59 seconds return Wednesday evening in Ostrava.

The Nigerian is however top of the African list in the event ahead of Gambia’s Gina Bass (22.62) and Favour Ofili (22.64).

Next stop for the reigning African record holder in the event (22.04) will be the Müller Grand Prix Wanda Diamond League meet at Gateshead, London where the Nigerian will be among the sprinters in the 100m event who have earned a staggering 41 global championship medals during their careers.

Okagbare will get the chance to upset the apple cart by outrunning Richardson who is clearly the one to beat after her 10.72 (+1.6) clocking at the Miramar Invitational last month.

The stellar line up also includes Olympic 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah and world champion and fellow Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as well as home girl, Dina Asher-Smith.

London holds a special memory for Okagbare as she hopes for another incredible, record-shattering performance like she did in 2013 when she broke the African 100m record twice within a space of about an hour. She ran 10.86 seconds in the heat of the event at the Olympic Stadium in London that July evening to become the first African to break 10.90 seconds in the blue ribband event.

Obviously in the mood for another record-smashing performance, Okagbare raised the bar again by becoming the first African woman to run inside 10.80 seconds with her 10.79 seconds run that stood as an African record for three years.

What has not been broken however is that she ran 10.86 and 10.79 seconds at the same meet the same day.