Teen swimmer, Ogunbanwo ready for Women’s 100m freestyle event

Since Barcelona 1992, no Nigerian swimmer has gone under a minute in the women’s 100m freestyle event but 17-year-old Abiola Ogunbanwo has set her sights on breaking the record to end Ngozi Monu’s longstanding Nigerian record of 1:00.50., which has stood since 2007. Ogunbanwo is going to compete today at the Tokyo Aquatics Center. She […]

Since Barcelona 1992, no Nigerian swimmer has gone under a minute in the women’s 100m freestyle event but 17-year-old Abiola Ogunbanwo has set her sights on breaking the record to end Ngozi Monu’s longstanding Nigerian record of 1:00.50., which has stood since 2007.

Ogunbanwo is going to compete today at the Tokyo Aquatics Center. She would also become the 10th Team Nigeria swimmer to compete at the Olympic Games.

Before her, the only Nigerians to have graced the pool at the Olympics were Musa Bakare (Barcelona ‘92), Ikhaghomi Joshua (Barcelona ‘92), Ngozi Monu (Sydney 2000 & Beijing 2008), Gentle Offoin (Sydney 2000), Lenient Obia (Athens 2004), Eric Williams (Athens 2004), Yellow Yeiyah (Beijing 2008), Samson Opuakpo (Rio 2016), and Rachael Tonjor (Rio 2016).

Ogunbanwo had been training at the globally acclaimed FINA Development Centre in Kazan, Russia before the Tokyo Olympics.

Competing against her in Heat 1 would be Mineri Gomez of Guam, Andela Antunovic of Montenegro, and Nepal’s Gaurika Singh.

Ogunbanwo has a personal best of 1:00.77, which she set in April at the Russian national swimming championship.