Life
Updated: July 08, 2021

LIFE: Blessing Okagbare, Eyes On Nigeria's Tokyo 2020 Olympics Shooting Star

By Precious Ray-Jaja
July 08, 2021
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Blessing Okagbare-Otegheri was born on October 9, 1988 in Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria. She married Nigerian footballer Igho Otegheri in September 2014.

Teachers and family encouraged her to participate in sports because of her athletic body. She began her athletic career as a teenager by participating in football at her high school and then switched to track and field in 2004.

Okagbare competed in a variety of sports early on, collecting medals in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump events at the Nigerian school championships.

Blessing Okagbare

Education

Okagbare had her primary and secondary education in Delta State, after which she secured admission to study at the prestigious Delta State University (DELSU). She also attended The University of Texas at El Paso.

Career

She set a new Nigerian record of 14.13 meters in the triple jump in May 2007 at the All-Africa Games trials in Lagos. She finished fourth in the triple jump at the 2007 All-Africa Games after winning silver in the long jump. Chinonye Ohadugha, who leaped 14.21 meters in the latter competition, surpassed her Nigerian record.

She competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as a 19-year-old and earned bronze in the women's long jump event. She was chosen to compete in the 2009 World Athletics Championships, but she did not compete in the 100-meter dash or the long jump.

2012 was a busy year for Okagbare. She jumped 6.97 meters in the long jump in Calabar during the Nigerian championship. She won new continental medals at the 2012 African Championships in Porto-Novo. In the 100 meters, she was beaten to silver by Zang Milama, while in the long jump she claimed gold with a jump of 6.96m.

She is one of the most popular female athletes in the world and a holder of the Guinness Book of Records for the most appearances in Diamond League meetings by an athlete.