Blessing Okagbare will return to the mondo track of the Luizniki stadium here in Moscow at exactly 8.02 this morning (Nigerian time) hoping for a change in fortune as the race for the medals and cash on offer in the 200m event begins.
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The reigning Nigeria 200m champion was touted as a firm favourite for one of the 100m medals put on offer Monday night in the finals but she failed to fulfil the expectations of millions of Nigerians.
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She has been drawn in the second heat which will be run at 11.02 am (Moscow time) and will be fighting for one of the three automatic slots for the semifinals with seven other athletes led by ChaRonda Williams of the USA (22.71) and Kimberly Hyacinthe of Canada (22.78).
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The Nigerian,who holds a personal best of 22.31,the fastest time ever run by a Nigerian since Falilat Ogunkoya ran 22.25 seconds to win the 200m silver at the IAAF World Cup in Athletics in Johannesburg in 1998 is favoured to win the heat and proceed to the next round.
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Okagbare may find this morning's race more like a stroll in the park but it will be a different race in the semifinals later today and the finals tomorow where she is expected to face reigning world 100m champion,Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pyrce (22.13 season's best),Kimberlyn Duncan of the USA (22.35 season's best),Allyson Felix also of the USA who holds a 22.36 personal season's best and is the only athlete in the cast to have run inside 22 seconds ever (21.69) and Cote D'Ivoire's Murielle Ahoure whose 22.24 seconds run is the fastest by an African so far this year.
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Mary Onyali still holds Nigeria's best performance in the event,placing fifth (22.32) in Stuuttgart,Germany in 1993.The only other Nigerian to make it to the final of the event was Fatimah Yusuf who ran 22.42 seconds to place sixth in Seville,Spain in 1999 at the seventh edition of the championships.
She's really done herself and Nigeria proud so far so I must commend her for that. She is a very good athlete.