Blessing Okagbare won the 100 meters on Monday night, going away, running 10.85, her best time of the year and one of the premier performances of the Commonwealth games so far! Okagbare had a fine start, but it is her drive phase that separates the fine Nigerian athlete. Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, stayed close the longest, and finished in 11.03. Kerron Stewart ran 11.07 for the bronze. Asha Phillips, England, ran her PB of 11.18.
Blessing is tall and statuesque. It is her speed and her fine form that separate her from the pack. Her win in the 100 meters was by .18 of a second!
Her response to the BBC sports interviewer? “A win – I’m just happy I was able to pull it off. After 70m it just felt easy.” Blessing had also produced a seasons’ best with the screamingly fast 10.85.
Blessing Okagbare, London 2013, Anniversary Games, photo by PhotoRun.net
On Thursday night, 31 July 2014, Blessing Okagbare had another fine start, and came off the turn in complete control. In fine form, her arms pumping, her hands textbook sprinting style and her amazing stride, eating up the track with each step, and ran, once again, a gold medal performance.
Blessing Okagbare ran 22.25 for her gold medal. Coming from fifth to second, and running one of her best races EVER, was Jodie Williams, the junior British phenom, who set her second PB in less than a month (a 22.60 at the Glasgow DL). Williams came off the turn in sixth, move to fifth and moved over the final ten meters from fifth to fourth, to third, and finally, at the finish line, to second, running a pb of 22.50! Her teammate, Bianca Williams, coming back from the 100 meters, ran 22.58 for her 200 meters, taking the bronze. Bianca had run a PB as well. And, coincidently, the English runner in fourth, Aniyka Onuora, who ran 22.64 also scored a PB!
For Blessing, there is one more series of races for the fine sprinter and long jumper.
Blessing Okagbare, photo by PhotoRun.net
I am looking forward to seeing Blessing Okagbare try the long jump once again.
Her talent is amazing her double medals here portends well for Beijing in 2015, and the World Championships!
After her splendid victory in the 100 meters on Monday night, 28 July, Blessing Okagbare came back on Thursday night, 31 July and won the 200 meters! Blessing will be one of the few athletes in the Commonwealth Games to have raced each day of athletics, with her 100 meters, 200 meters and 4 x 100 meters duties!
Blessing Okagbare, photo by PhotoRun.net
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Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.
Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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by Larry Eder
