Paris 2024: Nigerian Swimmer Tobi Sijuade Narrowly Misses Out on Semifinal After Finishing 3rd

• Nigeria’s hopes of securing an individual events medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics took a blow
• Swimmer Oluwatobi Sijuade finished third in heat 5 and will not proceed to the semi-final event
• The 22-year-old won bronze in the 4×100m swimming relay at the 2024 African Games in Ghana

Team Nigeria’s hopes of securing a medal at an individual event at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics took a big blow after swimmer Tobi Sijuade was eliminated in the heat.

Sijuade won the bronze medal in the 4×100m swimming relay at the 2024 African Games held in Ghana in March 2024 and was primed for a big performance in Paris.

As noted by the World Aquatics website, the third-placed medal he won in Ghana is his only medal to date, and it was won in his first appearance at the tournament, which indicates a big future ahead of him.

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Tobi Sijuade eliminated in Paris

Sijuade competed in Heat 5 of the men's 50 metres swimming for a chance to progress to the semi-final but narrowly finished third, thus ending his Olympics dream.

As noted by Brila FM, his 23.34 seconds was 1.40 seconds behind the last automatic qualification slot; hence, he will not have a shot at the last stage before the final.

His elimination comes hours after the Super Falcons were dumped out of the women's football event after losing 3-1 in their third group game to Japan, following previous defeats to Brazil and Spain.

It also comes after the controversies surrounding the registration of Favour Ofili for the 100-metre race by one of the AFN and NOC, despite her qualifying.

The incident limits Team Nigeria’s hopes of a first medal at the tournament, with the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist one of the country's best chances.

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Sports Minister condemns Ofili's omission

Legit.ng reported that Nigeria's Sports Minister, Senator John Enoh, condemned the omission of track star Favour Ofili from the 100-metre event at the 2024 Olympics.

Senator Enoh described it as gross negligence from the relevant bodies, claiming an investigation is ongoing and whoever is responsible will face punishment.

Source: Legit.ng