Despite the disappointing outcome, Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili is proud of her performance at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, which ended on Sunday.
The 21-year-old, who clearly did not take her removal from the women’s 100m in stride, stated that she had to confront heavy challenges in order to fulfil her Olympic aspirations, adding that the unfortunate experience taught her how tough she was.
“Competing in the Olympics has been the dream of a lifetime. The outcome of this Olympic wasn’t what I hoped for—having to fight with myself every day to be strong mentally even when my body and health were at stake due to the challenges I faced,” stated Ofili, who finished sixth in the 200m final.
She continued, “It’s easy to feel defeated, but every setback is a setup for a comeback. I’m proud of myself; the whole thing made me realise how strong I am, and I am grateful for the support I got from my coach, family, and fans.
“Trusting God’s plan and ways is the only way to heal, because I know his plans for me are to give me hope and a future. Thank you, Paris, for yet another lesson, and thank you to everyone who has been with me along the way—this isn’t the lesson, it’s just another step in the story.”
Ofili was one of the few Nigerian athletes tipped for a podium finish. She seemed destined for it in the 200m, as she remained in the top 3 overall for both preliminary and semi-final rounds, only to finish 6th in her Olympic-final debut as a first-time Olympian.
Her exclusion from the 100m event took the shine off her campaign and dented Nigeria’s outing, as neither the National Olympic Committee nor the Athletics Federation of Nigeria would own up to the global embarrassment.
It wasn’t until a few days before the 100 m event that it was discovered her Nigeria had failed to register her in time, preventing her from competing.
Despite this shocking setback, Ofili delivered an outstanding performance for 200 m and helped her team achieve a season-best time of 42.70s in the 4×100 m relay, with Ofili clocking a 10.09s split.
