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Okagbare battles Thompson

By Daily Sports on June 28, 2017

Reigning Nigeria speed queen, Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, will be hoping to legally race inside 11 seconds in the 100m event for the first time in two years at the Meeting De Paris, the seventh leg of the money-spinning IAAF Diamond League meetings on Saturday at the Parc De Prince Stadium in Paris, Completesportsnigeria.com reports.

The Nigerian, dethroned as African 100m champion without putting up a fight last year in Durban, South Africa, has been struggling for form since she finished last in the 100m (11.02 seconds) in the final of the IAAF World Championships on August 24, 2015 in Beijing, China.

Last year, she failed to legally run a sub-11 seconds in the blue riband event as her 10.92 seconds finish on July 18 at the Sóstói Stadion in Székesfehérvár, Hungary was aided by a +2.6 metres per second trail wind.

The last time she ducked inside 11 seconds was on September 3 last year at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Zurich where she ran 10.98 seconds.

This year the Nigerian holds an 11.16 seconds personal season best and will be hoping to better this mark by breaking 11 seconds on Saturday in Paris, a ground she will fondly remember for some spectacular performances.

It was at the Meetind De Paris that she ran her 10.80 seconds, her second fastest 100m time ever. She was second in the race behind Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pyrce (10.74 seconds) just two years ago.

In 2013, she also came second behind Fraser-Pyrce at the same meeting, losing by the narrowest of margins (10.92 to 10.93 seconds), while a year later she ran her second fastest time over 200m (22.32) at the meeting.

On Saturday the Moscow 2013 IAAF Worlds double medallist will be hoping the presence of reigning World and Olympic 100m queen, Jamaica's Elaine Thompson and Murielle Ahouré, the Ivorian who dethroned her as African champions at the starting block can propel her back to form and reckoning at the 16th IAAF World Championships in London in August. (Complete Sports.)

•Photo shows Blessing Okagbare.

Source Daily Sports

Posted June 28, 2017