Blessing Okagbare
Blessing Okagbare, Nigeria’s medal hope in the 200m in IAAF World
Athletics Championship in Doha has been disqualified for a second time.
She was disqualified on Monday in the heats for stepping outside of her lane.
Okagbare was first disqualified because of a mix-up by Nigeria’s track
federation after she didn’t show up for the 100-meter races that she
never intended to run.
After an appeal and a long wait, she was given the nod by IAAF to compete.
But when she got to the race she was disqualified for stepping outside of her lane.
Nigeria’s track federation had entered both her and Divine Oduduru in
the 100-meter races, even though neither intended to compete at that
distance. When they didn’t show up, IAAF rules called for them to be
disqualified from the rest of the meet, including their main events, the
200, and the 4×100 relays.
But after learning more about the mix-up, an IAAF appeals panel reinstated them.
Oduduru advanced out of the first round in the men’s race for the semi-finals of the men’s 200m.