Oregon 2022: All eyes on Amusan, Brume for medals as Nwokocka crashes, Jamaica clean 100m women

Team Nigeria’s hope of a medal in the blue ribband in the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA died Sunday when Grace Nwokocha failed to advance to the final in the semi-final of the women’s 100m.

Nwokocha finished fourth in her heat.

In the final of the event Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce sprinting in front of a packed passionate Hayward Field crowd on day three of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, secured a record-extending fifth world 100m title, leading a Jamaican sweep of the medals in a championship record of 10.67 (0.8m/s).

It's almost 14 years since her first global title – 100m gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics – but Fraser-Pryce continues to make history. With her run in Oregon on Sunday , the 35-year-old becomes the first athlete to win five world titles in a single individual running event, leading the first ever sweep of the medals in this discipline at the World Championships.

Behind her, Shericka Jackson continued to demonstrate her impressive versatility, running a PB of 10.73 to add world 100m silver to the two 400m bronze medals she won in 2015 and 2019, while five-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah claimed her first world 100m medal with a 10.81 run.

In the deepest ever women’s World Championships 100m final, seven of the eight finalists dipped under 11 seconds, with best ever marks for fourth, sixth and seventh.

In fourth was Britain’s reigning world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, who equalled her British record of 10.83. Switzerland’s world indoor 60m champion Mujinga Kambundji finished fifth in 10.91, while USA’s Aleia Hobbs was sixth in 10.92, Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou seventh in 10.93 and USA’s Melissa Jefferson eighth in 11.03.

"I can't even imagine the amount of times I've had setbacks and I've bounced back and I'm here again," said Fraser-Pryce. "I continue to remind myself that sometimes it's not because you don't have the ability, but it's the right time. Today was the right time."

Now she will prepare for the 200m, for which the heats take place on Monday. Jackson, Thompson-Herah, Asher-Smith, Kambundji and Ta Lou will be among those joining her.

Team Nigeria Favour Ofili a sub-22 sec is also competing in the 200m but the country medal hopeful are long jumper, Ese Brume and hurdler, Tobi Amusan.

Team Nigeria officials are also hoping on the women’s 4x100m relay team to grab a medal. 

The 4x100m relay for both men and women will begin on July 22, while the duo of Brume and Amusan will start their individual events on July 23.