Long jumper Ese Brume is on the brink of history as she prepares for her fifth appearance at the World Athletics Championships, which begin this week in Japan. Brume, 29, is seeking to surpass Blessing Okagbare as Nigeria’s most decorated athlete at the Championships. She currently shares the record with Okagbare at two medals each.
Okagbare remains the only Nigerian to have won two medals at a single edition, clinching bronze in the 200m and silver in the long jump in Moscow (2013). Brume, however, made history by becoming the first Nigerian to win multiple medals in the same event: bronze in 2019 and silver in 2022, both in the long jump.
A medal in Japan would extend her tally to three and cement her place as Nigeria’s all-time World Championships great. Her consistency has already made the long jump Nigeria’s most successful event at the competition, delivering three medals since 2013. Meanwhile, sprint hurdler Tobi Amusan is also chasing history.
A podium finish would make her only the second Nigerian, after Brume, to win multiple medals in the same event. However, Nigeria’s absence from the women’s 4x100m relay has denied Amusan the chance to emulate Okagbare’s double-medal feat at a single championship.
