Ese Brume, the 2019 African Games champion, on Tuesday gave Team Nigeria their first medal at the ongoing Tokyo Olympic Games with a bronze in the women’s long jump event.
Brume recorded a 6.97 metres jump in the final of the event at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium to win her first Olympic medal and Nigeria’s first at this Games.
The 25-year-old Nigerian placed behind American Brittney Reese who claimed the silver medal with a jump of 6.97m also.
But Brume who placed fifth at the Rio Games in 2016 with 6.81 had to settle for bronze because her second best effort of 6.67m was inferior to Reese’s 6.81m.
Germany’s Malaika Mihambo won the event’s gold medal, having saved her best for the last, by snatching victory from Reese with a season best jump of 7.00m.
Reese, the 2012 gold medallist and four-time world champion, held the lead from the third round with a jump of 6.97m.
However, she couldn’t better Mihambo’s final leap, taking home silver.
Seven women had a personal best of seven metres going into the finals, but only Mihambo was able to reach the mark.
Having jumped a distance of 7.17m at the Chule Vista Festival in California in May, Ese had shattered Chioma Ajunwa’s 25-year long jump record of 7.12m.
Brume’s jump was the World Lead going into the Olympics.
She was the only Nigerian athlete who reached the final of her event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where she placed fifth with a leap of 6.81m.