Blessing Okagbare enters Guinness Book of Records with highest number of Diamond meet entries

NIGERIAN sprint queen Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor has been recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the only athlete on earth to have attended Athletics Diamond Meetings an unprecedented 67 times.

Ms Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, 32, is a track and field athlete who specialises in long jump, 100 metres and 200 metre sprints. Her 100 m best of 10.79 seconds made her the African record holder for the event until it was eclipsed by Ivorian Murielle Ahouré in 2016, while she also holds the women's 100 metres Commonwealth Games record for the fastest time at 10.85 seconds.

Among other things, Ms Okagbare-Ighoteguonor is the current African record holder in the 200 m with her run of 22.04 seconds in 2018. As a 19-year-old, she won a bronze medal in the women's long jump event at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, she won the gold medal in the 200, with a time of 22.25 seconds, making her only the fourth woman to win the 100m and 200m double at the event.

Blessing said: “A dream made reality through God’s grace and determination. Look what finally came in the mail. Thanks to Guinness Book of World Records, I am indeed honoured, proud and grateful.”

She added that the recognition is a dream that turned into reality through God’s grace and determination. At the 2013 World Championships held in Moscow, Russia, she won silver and bronze in the long jump and 200 metre events.