Annette Nneka Echikunwoke Wins Silver For USA After Nigeria Frustrated Her
Annette Nneka Echikunwoke has made history.
She came to represent Nigeria in Tokyo 2020, but her dream was ruined by the body in charge of athletes. She and 12 other athletes were affected. Nigeria was not able to pay for their drug tests so they were not allowed to participate.
She switched allegiance to the USA, and today she is an Olympic silver medalist.
She didn’t allow Nigeria to kill her dream.
Congratulations NNEKA
Annette Echikunwoke, Africa’s Hammer Record Holder, Gives US Olympic Glory After Nigeria Failed Her
Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, the Nigerian-American athlete who holds the African record in the hammer throwing event, earned an Olympic silver medal for the United States on Tuesday after switching allegiance from Nigeria.
Echikunwoke had missed out on an opportunity to participate in the Tokyo Olympics hammer throwing event in 2021 because the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) had failed to conduct drug tests athletes were required to take.
“On my 25th birthday, I was officially informed that I cannot compete at the Tokyo Olympics due to the negligence of the federation I was set to compete for,” Echikunwoke shared on Instagram in July 2021.
“I can’t even begin to explain how heartbroken I am. It honestly feels like a fever dream. To think of all the hours of throwing sessions, hundreds of hard lifts, all the moments when my body aches in pain and reminding myself ‘it’ll be worth it’, just to keep pushing on, sacrificing time with loved ones… and all I’m left with is this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. This has been the most mentally and emotionally exhausting time of my life.
“To be clear: The [Athletics] Federation of Nigeria did not go through the processes to set up proper testing for us athletes. They left us in the dark about this whole drug testing issue until the last minute where we were left helpless. We cannot let anything like this happen again to athletes, devastating dreams and crushing opportunities.”
She threw the hammer as far as 75.49 metres on May 22, 2021 at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, USA, and the attempt set a new African record.
She had provided her whereabouts to the AFN six times as requested, but no one from the federation came. Jumper Ruth Usoro, thrower Chioma Onyekwere, sprinters Chidi Okezie, Favour Ofili, Tima Godless, Yinka Ajayi, Glory Patrick, Rosemary Chukwuma and Knowledge Omovoh all shared the same fate with Echikunwoke in 2021.
Another organisational failure forced Ofili out of the women’s 100-metre sprint event in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Echikunwoke, born in the US to Nigerian parents, chose to compete for a place in the US team afterwards.
The Olympics website recognises Echikunwoke as a 2022 World Championships hammer throw finalist and the 2024 US Olympic Trials hammer throw winner.
Echikunwoke was the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Championships national weight throw champion. She held the school record in four of five throwing events she competed in while at the University of Cincinnati.
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