Nigeria’s fastest woman, Blessing Okagbare, has every reason to be excited after racing to, not one, but two personal bests on the same day in Sunday’s third leg of the American Track League event in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
After running an impressive 7.17 seconds in the 60 meters heat to equal her personal best at the US-based professional track meet, Okagbare obliterated the field in the final with a new lifetime best of 7.10s to clinch top spot ahead of Jamaica’s Christiana Williams (7.14s) and Teahna Daniels of the United States (7.17s).
The 32-year-old Okagabre wasn’t done though as she carried her fine form over to the 200m event, blazing to another lifetime best of 23.01s to win her heat.
It was the second-fastest time ever to be run by a Nigerian woman in the 200m event behind Regina George’s 23.00s national indoor record on the same track in Fayetteville back in 2013, and Okagbare was justifiably excited at the double feat.
“First I won the 60M @americantrack yesterday and also won my heat in the 200M. Both came with a new personal best. I am excited,” wrote the Olympic and World Championships medallist, whose time in Sunday’s 60 metres race is the joint second-fastest in the world.
I won the 60M @americantrack yesterday and also won my heat in the 200M. Both came with a new personal best. I am excited #Fam🤸♀️🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/BvVYKoen4i
— Blessing Okagbare MFR (@mountain214) February 8, 2021
Javianne Oliver of the United States had a day earlier in Metz, France, flashed to a remarkable 7.10s. Only Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith has run faster than Okagbare and Oliver over 60m this year with her 7.08s run at the Europahalle, in Karlsruhe, Germany on January 29. (Guardian)