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Ese Brume sure of Rio 2016 Olympics ticket

By Editor
27 November 2015   |   2:50 am
Commonwealth gold medalist, Ese Brume, is sure of booking a ticket to next year’s Rio Olympic Games despite the tough standards set for the country’s athletes by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
Commonwealth gold medallist, Ese Brume, wants to be at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.              PHOTO: AFP.

Commonwealth gold medallist, Ese Brume, wants to be at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. PHOTO: AFP.

Commonwealth gold medalist, Ese Brume, is sure of booking a ticket to next year’s Rio Olympic Games despite the tough standards set for the country’s athletes by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

Brume was one of Nigeria’s celebrated stars in 2014, winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow before beating all contenders to grab the top spot at the African Senior Athletics Championship in Morocco.

Before then, she won three medals at the 2013 African Junior Athletics Championships. But her performance at the last African Games in Brazzaville Congo was nothing to write home about.

Speaking with The Guardian from her base in Benin City, Brume said she would do everything possible to book her ticket to Rio Olympics, just as she revealed that her poor performance in Congo was as a result of injury she sustained in her build up to the Games.

She holds a personal best record of 6.68 meters in the long jump, but AFN says any female athlete hoping to fly the nation’s flag in the long jump must jump 6.90meters standard, while the male jumpers must jump 8.20meters.

It looks an uphill task, but Brume told The Guardian that she was working round the clock towards achieving it.

“The Olympics Games is the biggest of all sporting events and to book a ticket to Rio 2016 means I have to be one of the best jumpers in the World.

It is possible because that has been my dream since I started competing with senior athletes. I am working towards it and by the grace of God, I will make it,” she said.

The AFN says it will pay athletes that meet the standard the sum of $2,000, while athletes that made the finals in Rio will get $2,500, bronze medallist $10,000, silver medallist $30,000 and gold medallist $50,000.

The AFN standard must be achieved between January 1 and June 30, 2016.

Meanwhile, Brume has revealed that she would move to the United States early next year for her scholarship programme.

After winning the Commonwealth and African senior championship gold medals for Nigeria in 2014, Brume was given an athletic scholarship to study in the United States with assurance by Delta State government to support her.

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