Blessing Okagbare

Blessing Okagbare, born on October 9, 1988, is a distinguished former Nigerian track and field athlete renowned for her exceptional prowess in long jump and sprints. Throughout her illustrious career, she has earned accolades as an Olympic and World Championships medallist in the long jump, as well as a world medalist in the 200 metres.

Okagbare's remarkable achievements include setting the women's 100 metres Commonwealth Games record at 10.85 seconds. Her personal best of 10.79 seconds in the 100 metres made her the African record holder for the event until it was surpassed by Murielle Ahouré in 2016. On June 17, 2021, she showcased her speed with a wind-aided time of 10.63 seconds in the 100 metres.

In addition to her sprinting accolades, Okagbare held the African record in the 200 metres with a time of 22.04 seconds in 2018, positioning her as the second-fastest African female athlete in this distance, following Christine Mboma's record of 21.78 seconds in 2021. She was also crowned the African champion in both the 100 metres and long jump in 2010, further solidifying her status in the athletics community.

Her impressive medal collection extends to the All-Africa Games, IAAF Continental Cup, and World Relays. However, her career faced a significant setback in 2022 when she was issued an eleven-year competition ban, backdated to July 2021, due to multiple anti-doping rule violations.