http://makingofchampions.net/2014/07/29/mixed-fortunes-for-nigeria-as-abugan-makes-400m-commonwealth-games-final/
Team Nigeria’s conquest for
medals took a dramatic turn on
Day 2 of athletics at the Hampden
Park in Glasgow as Nigeria’s
No.1, Folashade Abugan was the
only one of three athletes to
qualify from the semi-finals of
the women’s 400m at the
ongoing Commonwealth Games,
through to the final on Tuesday
night.
Abugan competed in Heat 2 of
the semis, and missed out on
automatic qualification as she
finished third behind Jamaica’s
Christine Day (51.02) and
Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas in
2nd with 51.58s. However
Abugan’s time of 51.71s qualified
her as one of the fastest losers,
along with Kineke Alexander of
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
who posted 52.12s behind
Abugan.
Unfortunately, her compatriots,
Omolara Omotosho and Regina
George had no such luck as they
both failed to make it to the final,
after finishing 3rd and 6th
respectively. Omotosho
competed in Heat 1 and came
agonizingly close to automatic
qualification; she however
missed out on a place in the final
as she finished 3rd in 52.34s,
trailing Jamaica’s Stephanie
McPherson (50.69s) and Kelly
Massey of England (52.19s) who
beat her near the line as she
started to tie up and lose her
form in the final straight.
More surprising was the
performance of Regina George
who finished a distant sixth with
53.48s in Heat 3 which was won
by the Commonwealth’s top
athlete, Novlene Williams-Mills in
50.73s. The Jamaican was
followed by defending champion,
Amantle Montsho (50.96s) and
England’s Margaret Adeoye who
returned a time of 52.48s in 3rd.
George, the darling of many
Nigerian fans could not replicate
the form that saw her inspire
Nigeria to a bronze medal finish
at the inaugural edition of the
IAAF World Relays in the
Bahamas earlier this year.
Rumour has it that the 22-year
old was carrying an injury after
the heats, and as such couldn’t
post a performance deserving of
a place in the final. One wonders
though why she was picked
ahead of Patience Okon George,
who finished ahead of her in the
National Trials in third place, and
really ought to have run the
individual 400m, unless she was
injured!
Abugan will be engaged in the
battle for supremacy ahead of
Tuesday’s final when she goes
against a star-studded field
which includes Williams-Mills, Day
and Montsho (1st, 2nd and 3rd
fastest in the Commonwealth this
year). She comes to the field with
the second slowest time and will
need to extra inspiration if she is
to get to the podium on Tuesday.
As we predicted yesterday,
Abugan was the surest bet to
reach the final, and is so doing
confirms her position as
Nigeria’s No. 1 this year. She will
have to watch out for the
Jamaicans who coincidentally
dominated the various heats. Can
she pull of the same kind of
upset that saw her dethrone
Regina George as national
champion?
