Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, Africa’s hammer record holder and one of the athletes originally slated to represent Nigeria at the Tokyo Olympics, secured a silver medal for the USA yesterday.
The Nigerian-American athlete earned a spot on the podium in the hammer throw event, winning silver for the United States on Tuesday after changing her allegiance from Nigeria.
Echikunwoke missed the chance to compete in the Tokyo Olympics hammer throw event in 2021 because the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) failed to conduct drug tests for her and nine other athletes, resulting in their disqualification from the games three years ago.
“On my 25th birthday, I was officially informed that I cannot compete at the Tokyo Olympics due to the negligence of the federation I was set to compete for,” Echikunwoke shared on Instagram in July 2021.
Sequel to the changed allegiance, she opted to represent the United States at Paris 2024, and claimed a silver medal.
She threw her season’s best of 75.48m. Nigeria’s loss has become the United States’ gain.
Echikunwoke opened the competition with a strong throw of 73.11 meters followed by a 71.45-meter attempt.
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