Okagbare wins Nigeria's first medal

Nigeria's long jumper, Blessing Okagbare, friday at the magificent Bird nest stadium won nigeria's first medal at the 2008 Beijing olympics, a bronze medal with a jump of 6.91cm

The nineteen year old undergraduate of university of Texas El-paso won the bronze medal with her first jump in the finals of the long jump event, coming third behind Russia's tatyanna lebedeva who placed second with a jump of 7.03, and thirty two year old Brazillian Maureen Maggi who also won the gold with her first jump of the finals; jumping 7.04cm

Okagbare was initially not in the finals but qualified by default after Ukraine's lyudmila Blonska was disqualified for doping offences and thus Blessing was promoted to the finals after only missing out by whiskers.