OGUNBANWO BOWS OUT OF TOKYO OLYMPIC WITH NEW 100m FREESTYLE NATIONAL RECORD

Ngozi Monu’s 14 years longstanding women’s 100m freestyle National Record was smashed, on Wednesday by Abiola Ogunbanwo at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Competing in her very first Olympic appearance in heat 1, starting in lane 3, she won the 2020 Olympic Games 100m freestyle event in 59.74s.

The 17 year-old finished ahead of Andela Antunovic of Montenegro (1:00.01), Nepal’s Gaurinka Singh (1: 00,11), and Mineri Gomez of Guam ( 1: 04.00) . Ogunbanwo who was presumed to have qualified to the semi-final by some pundits considering her time returned, was unfortunate as she missed out from the fastest 16 swimmers that advanced to the semi-finals.

But Ogunbanwo can hold her head up high as she added the 100m freestyle national record gallant performance to the 400m freestyle and 200m breaststroke national records she currently holds.

The teenager first represented Nigeria at the 2019 World Aquatic Championships held in Gwanju, South Korea. She competed in the women’s 100m freestyle and women’s 200m freestyle but didn’t advance to the semi-final. Abiola was born 19 April 2004.

Meanwhile, Mineri Gomez of Guam (1: 04.00) was good enough as her personal fastest time