Rio Olympics: Brume goes for gold in long jump

Nigeria’s fast rising athlete, Ese Brume will aspire to write her name in gold later tonight in Brazil, as she competes with 11 others in the final of the women’s long jump event at the ongoing Rio 2016 Olympics. The race is billed to start at 9.15pm Brazil time and (1.15am) Nigeria time on Thursday. Brume, who is the only African in the final achieved the feat when she placed third in group B with a leap of 6.67m in a second attempt though, it did not meet the qualification mark of 6.75m. The Delta State-born athlete, who hit the limelight two years ago when she won the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games with a leap of 6.56m, will have to contend with the likes of the reigning Olympic champion, American Brittney Reese whose first attempt of 6.78m gave her the final ticket as well Serb Ivana Spanovic who won group A with 6.87m leap, the best result for the day. Pundits believe that Brume stands a chance of making it to the podium if she could reenact her personal best of 6.83m in Rio. However, the 2016 African championship gold medallist also has the world champion, American Tianna Bartoletta; Germany’s Malaika Mihambo (6.82m); Britain's Lorraine Ugen (6.65m); Australian record holder Brooke Stratton (6.56m); Britain's Jazmin Sawyers (6.53m); Estonia’s Ksenija Balta (6.71m); Russian Darya Klishina 6.64m; Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh (6.55m) and Germany’s Sosthene Moguenara (6.55m) to battle with, in her bid to clinch a medal at the prestigious Games.