Annette Echikunwoke Wins Medal For USA After Nigeria Failed Her
Nigerian-born Annette Echikunwoke is currently trending after r clinching a silver medal in the women’s hammer throw at the ongoing Olympics.
Nigerian-born Annette Echikunwoke is currently trending after clinching a silver medal in the women’s hammer throw at the ongoing Olympics
The 28-year-old athlete achieved a remarkable second-place finish with a throw of 75.48 metres, just behind Canada’s Camryn Rodgers, who topped the podium with a 76.97-metre throw.
The 28-year-old thrower was due to represent Nigeria at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo but an act of negligence by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria cost her the opportunity to feature at the Tokyo showpiece
She later switched allegiance to the United States.
According to ESPN Africa, Echikunwoke was originally set to represent Nigeria at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
However, due to a lapse by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), she missed the opportunity to compete for her home
According to the report, Echikunwoke was scheduled to represent Nigeria but was disqualified due to the Athletics Federation’s failure to arrange drug tests and communicate her need to provide her whereabouts.
In total, 10 Nigerian athletes who were set to compete in 2021, a significant portion of the Nigerian Olympic Committee’s (NOC) delegation, were disqualified due to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s negligence.
The Federation defended itself by citing that several athletes based in the United States did not update the AFN with their location, though Echikunwoke was not specifically named.
Before switching allegiance to the United States, Echikunwoke was recognised as Africa’s best athlete in the women’s hammer throw, according to data from worldathletics.org.
