Maria Usifo
Maria Usifo (born 1 August 1964) is a Nigerian athlete and former Olympian who represented Nigeria at Los Angeles (1984) and Seoul (1988) Olympic Games.[1] She specialized in the 100 and 400 metres hurdles.[2] She is one of the female athletes in Nigerian sports history who dominated athletic events both at national and international levels.[3]
Career in sports
[edit]Usifo started her career in sports in Nigeria in the 1970s when the school sports system was functional. She was a former hurdler and quarter-miler whose athletic opened opportunities for her to choose from 10 foreign universities after her outstanding performance at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia in 1982. She participated in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988.[4] Usifo was All-Africa Games Gold medallist and African Championships Gold medallist.[5]
In 1986, Usifo became the first Texas Southern Tigers track and field athlete to win an individual NCAA DI title, in the 400 m hurdles.[6]
International competitions
[edit]| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Nigeria
| |||||
| 1987 | All-Africa Games | Nairobi, Kenya | 1st | 100 m hurdles | 13.29 |
| 1st | 400 m hurdles | 55.72 | |||
- 1989 African Championships - gold medal (400 m h)
- 1988 African Championships - gold medal (100 m h)
- 1988 African Championships - gold medal (400 m h)
- 1985 African Championships - gold medal (100 m h)
- 1985 African Championships - silver medal (400 m h)
- 1984 African Championships - gold medal (100 m h)
References
[edit]- ^ Ng, Metro Daily (25 June 2021). "We Break the News as the Events Unfold! Ex-olympian, Maria Usifo Counsels Children In Edo IDPs Camp". We Break the News as the Events Unfold!. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ "Maria USIFO | Profile | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ "Nigerian women defying odds in sports". Daily Trust. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ "Usifo recalls Los Angeles '84 memory as CSED celebrates Olympic Day". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ "Maria USIFO | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ admin (20 July 2014). "I still rue my fall at Seoul Olympics – Usifo". TheNiche. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
External links
[edit]
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
African Champions in women's 100 metres hurdles | |
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African Champions in women's 400 metres hurdles | |
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 | This biographical article relating to Nigerian athletics is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1964 births
- Living people
- Nigerian female hurdlers
- Olympic athletes for Nigeria
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- World Athletics Championships athletes for Nigeria
- African Games gold medalists for Nigeria
- African Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Commonwealth Games competitors for Nigeria
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 All-Africa Games
- Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
- FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Nigeria
- 20th-century Nigerian women
- NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
- Texas Southern Tigers women's track and field athletes
- Nigerian athletics biography stubs