The FIRST American woman to medal in Olympic hammer throw! 🥈

Annette Nneka Echikunwoke has made history.

She came to represent Nigeria in Tokyo 2020, but her dream was ruined by the body in charge of athletes. She and 12 other athletes were affected. Nigeria was not able to pay for their drug tests so they were not allowed to participate.

She switched allegiance to the USA, and today she is an Olympic silver medalist.

She didn’t allow Nigeria to kill her dream.

Congratulations NNEKA

Annette Echikunwoke, Africa’s Hammer Record Holder, Gives US Olympic Glory After Nigeria Failed Her

Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, the Nigerian-American athlete who holds the African record in the hammer throwing event, earned an Olympic silver medal for the United States on Tuesday after switching allegiance from Nigeria.

Echikunwoke had missed out on an opportunity to participate in the Tokyo Olympics hammer throwing event in 2021 because the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) had failed to conduct drug tests athletes were required to take.

“On my 25th birthday, I was officially informed that I cannot compete at the Tokyo Olympics due to the negligence of the federation I was set to compete for,” Echikunwoke shared on Instagram in July 2021.

“I can’t even begin to explain how heartbroken I am. It honestly feels like a fever dream. To think of all the hours of throwing sessions, hundreds of hard lifts, all the moments when my body aches in pain and reminding myself ‘it’ll be worth it’, just to keep pushing on, sacrificing time with loved ones… and all I’m left with is this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. This has been the most mentally and emotionally exhausting time of my life.

“To be clear: The [Athletics] Federation of Nigeria did not go through the processes to set up proper testing for us athletes. They left us in the dark about this whole drug testing issue until the last minute where we were left helpless. We cannot let anything like this happen again to athletes, devastating dreams and crushing opportunities.”

She threw the hammer as far as 75.49 metres on May 22, 2021 at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, USA, and the attempt set a new African record.

She had provided her whereabouts to the AFN six times as requested, but no one from the federation came. Jumper Ruth Usoro, thrower Chioma Onyekwere, sprinters Chidi Okezie, Favour Ofili, Tima Godless, Yinka Ajayi, Glory Patrick, Rosemary Chukwuma and Knowledge Omovoh all shared the same fate with Echikunwoke in 2021.

Another organisational failure forced Ofili out of the women’s 100-metre sprint event in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Echikunwoke, born in the US to Nigerian parents, chose to compete for a place in the US team afterwards.

The Olympics website recognises Echikunwoke as a 2022 World Championships hammer throw finalist and the 2024 US Olympic Trials hammer throw winner.

Echikunwoke was the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Championships national weight throw champion. She held the school record in four of five throwing events she competed in while at the University of Cincinnati.

https://fij.ng/article/annette-echikunwoke-africas-hammer-record-holder-gives-us-olympic-glory-after-nigeria-failed-her/

Congrats to this black queen!

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Congrats to her

I wonder many unsaid dreams this country has killed due to bad governance

Well done

I pity those that still believe Nigeria will just change suddenly one day.
For any change to come into play, there must be agents of change just like we have in agents of pollination.

You can't have a country infested with too many lawless and mad people in significant number of up to 90% now and you expect sudden change.
You must be delusional.
Every sector is now compromised.
Who will salvage who?

Hmmmm

Ok

Congratulations to her



It seems the sports ministry needs a transparent leader.

I wonder why a Nigerian can't make it to 100m finals.

They should start early to hunt for sports talents

Nigeria happened to her. Most athletes you see representing the nation at the Olympics prepared themselves with little or no support at all from the country.

Congratulations

When you have incompetent leaders at the helm what do you expect?

They didn't pay for her because she is igbo!!!

Make I find trouble small 🤣

Mumu

Hide your dreams from Nigeria and succeed.

- chatinent, 2024.

Congratulations to her, as long as she fulfills her dreams- that's what is important.

Congratulations. I no wan hear Igbo Amaka.
Nigeria would have happened to her.

Only to rig election steal crude oil money they know

Nothing Big. We have people winning Gold for us too.
Congrats to her


NB: Why are idiots crying under my mention. Y'all don't know what they call "opinion"??

Believe in this uselèss country at your own peril and detriment. No country on earth as uselèss as Nigeria, I reiterate my statement again, no country on earth as uselèss as Nigeria.


Congratulations to you Darling. I must commend you for giving up on the zoo just immediately.

Congratulations former Nigerian

Nigeria is a crime scene.

You see

Igbos - the unique people that thrive on Merit and Excellence. 👍

Okay

a great feat. still a pride to her roots.
mix up in paperwork = corruption.
call the spade it's name.

Congratulations

Wow

No matter your worth, you are worthless in the wrong place..

Congratulations Nwafor.. keep soaring high

I felt really bad when the commentator mentioned she initially wanted to represent Nigeria. But because of paperwork mix up, she competed for the US.
And to imagine she was in the gold medal position until the Canadian woman and the current world champion wrestled it from her in the last minute.

I really don't understand this "paperwork mixup" I always hear about Nigeria athletes abroad.
Don't know if it is a subtle way of describing corruption in our athletics