Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare will battle Jamaica’s Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the International Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League in Paris, France, on Saturday.Okagbare will compete against Fraser-Pryce and five others in the 100m event of the competition. The other athletes in the event are Ivory Coast’s Ahoure Murielle and Ta Lou Marie Jones, Netherland’s Schippers Dafne, United States’ English Gardner and Jamaica’s Natasha Morrison.
Okagbare’s season and personal bests of 10.87secs and 10.75secs puts her in a serious position to clinch the title against Olympic champion Fraser-Pryce, while Ivoirian Murielle will also be a contender in the race for the crown.
Okagbare and Fraser-Pryce had met at the Shanghai leg of the Diamond League with the Nigerian emerging victorious, while the Jamaican placed fifth.
Also, Fraser-Pryce’s latest victory in the 100m at the Jamaican Championships on June 26 with a 10.79secs finish will boost her form to win the race, while Okagbare’s silver-winning 22.67secs run in the 200m in New York on June 13 will make the race interesting to watch.
Okagbare’s opponent Murielle has a season best of 10.81secs, Gardner has 10.79secs, Morrison has 11.03secs, Schippers has 10.90secs, while Ta Lou has 11.08secs.
Meanwhile, Usain Bolt has withdrawn from the Men’s 100m event. The Jamaican said on Tuesday on his personal website that a relapse of his injury necessitated his withdrawal from the Paris and Lausanne Diamond Leagues.
“I’m disappointed not to be able to compete in Paris and Lausanne. I love running at these meetings but at the moment I am unable to compete at 100 per cent. I look forward to getting back into full training as soon as possible,” Bolt said.
The Jamaican also withdrew from last weekend’s Jamaican Championships and would have competed against compatriots Asafa Powell and Nesta Carter, USA’s Rodgers Smith and Bailey Ryan, France’s Vicaut Jimmy and Biron Emmanuel, and St, Kitts and Nevis’ Collin Smith in Paris.
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