Reigning Commonwealth Games and African long jump champion, Ese Brume, is hoping to seal her passage to the Paris 2024 Olympics today when she opens her Diamond League campaign at the Yangtze River Delta Athletics Diamond Gala in Shanghai/Suzhou, the second fixture in the 2024 Diamond League season.
The U.S.-based jumper is the second Nigerian, man or woman in history, to have won medals at every global championships and Games after Glory Alozie.
Today, in China, the ever-smiling Brume is aiming to hit the 6.86m mark to secure automatic qualification for the Paris 2024 Games, her third straight Olympics appearance.
Her mother, Mrs. Adaka Sally, a former athlete, told The Guardian, yesterday in a telephone chat that she is praying for Ese to have a favourable weather and wind to seal her qualification today in China.
“I spoke with Ese three days ago and she said she was preparing for the trip to China. She was awaiting her visa then, and I am sure she must have arrived in China. My prayer is for her to get a favourable weather and wind to pick the ticket this time,” Mrs Sally said.
Brume actually got the qualification mark at the last African Games in Ghana with her 6.92m gold-winning leap, but it was rendered illegal by a massive +3.9m/s tailwind.
She is seeking to become the first Nigerian track and field athlete to win two individual medals at the Olympics after winning bronze at Rio 2016 Olympics eight years ago.
According to SportsNow.com, the trio of Falilat Ogunkoya, Mary Onyali and Enefiok Udobong won two medals too at the Olympics but their second one, especially for the duo of Ogunkoya and Onyali did not come through their solo efforts alone. They needed the help of others to win in the 4x400m and 4x100m relays respectively.
Udobong had to also rely on his effort as well as that of others to win the two Olympic medals he won at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 in the 4x400m relay.
Today, in China, Ese Brume will also be seeking to win her first real Diamond League event after coming first in the long jump promotional event at the Memorial van Damme in Brussels, Belgium in September 2022.
The Nigerian was second in the final of the competition last year in Eugene, losing the title on countback to Serbia’s Ivana Vuleta who had also denied the Nigerian of the gold medal at the World indoor championships in March of the same year.
Another Nigerian, World 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan, will also be in action today in Shanghai/Suzhou seven days after finishing fifth in Xiamen, also in China.
Amusan, who has already picked her ticket to the Paris Olympics, will be aiming to prove that she is the world record holder and defending Diamond League champion.
