Tokyo 2020: Nigerian athlete Adegoke makes history, beats world’s fastest man to qualify for 100m semifinal

Tokyo 2020: Nigerian athlete Adegoke makes history, beats world’s fastest man to qualify for 100m semifinal

  • Enoch Adegoke qualifies for the semi-final of the men's 100m at the Tokyo 2020 after winning his heat in style
  • The Nigerian champion beat world's fastest man, USA’s Trayvon Brommel in his heat
  • Adegoke will be joined in the semis by his compatriot Ushoritse Itshekiri who also qualified by finishing third in his heat

Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Reigning Nigerian champion Enoch Adegoke qualified for the semi-final of the men's 100m at the Tokyo 2020 after racing to a personal best of 9.98 seconds in his first-round heat.

Adegoke did not only join the exclusive club of sub-10 seconds runners Nigeria have produced, but he also defeated the fastest man in the world this year and seventh fastest of all-time, USA’s Trayvon Brommel in the process.

The 21-year-old also beat Asian record holder, Femi Ogunode, and British star, Zharnel Hughes in the race.

Olympics: Nigerian Athlete Adegoke Beats World’s Fastest Man to Qualify For 100m Semifinal
Nigeria's Enoch Adegoke wins the men's 100m heats at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP
Source: UGC

Also through to the semifinal is Ushoritse Itshekiri who placed third in his first-round heat while Nigeria’s third athlete in the event, Divine Oduduru was disqualified for a false start.

Read also

Tokyo 2020: Boxer Samuel Takyi wins Ghana's first Olympic medal in 29 years

PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see YEN.com.gh News on your News Feed!

Ahead of the semifinal, Adegoke has been drawn against the same athletes he defeated, Brommel, Nigeria-born Qatari, Femi Ogunode and Britain’s Zhana Hughes while Itshekiri will run in the first semifinal.

Both Nigerians will be looking to qualify for the final of the event.

Adegoke is now the 11th Nigerian in history to go under 10 seconds and the 10th joint-fastest Nigerian in history. He is currently the fastest man in Nigeria

Clean sweep for Jamaica in women's 100m final

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Jamaica is famous for its Olympic bobsled team and for its prowess in athletics.

The Jamaican females 100m sprinters have stunned the world with their stunning performance. They took gold, silver, and bronze in the 100m sprint with Elaine Thompson setting a new Olympic record.

Read also

Tokyo 2020: Jamaican female runners take gold, silver and bronze, Elaine Thompson-Herah breaks record

Elaine Thompson-Herah took the gold, finishing the race in 10.61 seconds. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was hot on her heels with 10.74 seconds and Shericka Jackson was literally a couple of split seconds behind her at 10.76 seconds.

Enjoy reading our stories? Join YEN.com.gh's Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!

Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Aba Afful avatar

Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.