Chinwe Okoro

Chinwe Okoro

Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Nigeria
African Championships
	2012 Porto Novo	Shot put
	2012 Porto Novo	Discus throw
	2014 Marrakesh	Discus throw
	2014 Marrakesh	Shot put
	2016 Durban	Discus throw

Chinwe Okoro (born 20 June 1989) is a Nigerian track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and the discus throw. She is a three-time African champion and holds the Nigerian record for the discus throw at 59.79 m (196 ft 1+3⁄4 in).[1]

Career

Okoro grew up in Kentucky, attending high school in Russell, and holds dual Nigerian-American citizenship. She attended the University of Louisville and combined athletics and academics as a student-athlete. She won the American junior title in the shot put in 2008 and was an NCAA All-American in 2011. Her high marks in her physical therapy studies made her a five-time Big East Conference All-Academic, and she later won the Michael Hale Scholarship to continue with her studies via a doctorate at Bellarmine University.[2][3]

Her first international competition came at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics, where she finished tenth in the shot put.[4] Her first senior medals followed at the 2012 African Championships in Athletics, where she won the discus throw and was runner-up to Vivian Chukwuemeka in the shot put in a Nigerian medal sweep. Chukwuemeka was later disqualified for doping, however, elevating Okoro to double throws champion at the event.[5][6][7]

Okoro missed the 2013 season but returned improved the year after and successfully defended her discus title at the 2014 African Championships in Athletics with a championship record and personal best throw of 59.79 m (196 ft 1+3⁄4 in). She was again runner-up in the shot put, with Cameroon's Auriol Dongmo Mekemnang being the women's champion on that occasion.[8][9] She represented Africa in both throws events at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup, held a month later at the same venue in Marrakesh, and was sixth in shot put and seventh in discus.[4]

Okoro qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics with a throw of 61.58. She represented Nigeria in the discus throw and finished 14th out of 34.

Personal bests

• Shot put: 17.39 m (57 ft 1⁄2 in) (2012)
• Discus throw: 61.58 m (202 ft 1⁄4 in) (2016) NR

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2008	World Junior Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	10th	Shot put	15.18 m
2012	African Championships	Porto Novo, Benin	1st	Shot put	16.21 m
			1st	Discus throw	56.60 m
2014	African Championships	Marrakesh, Morocco	2nd	Shot put	16.40 m
			1st	Discus throw	59.79 m CR
	IAAF Continental Cup	Marrakesh, Morocco	6th	Shot put	16.35 m
			7th	Discus throw	52.30 m
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	14th (q)	Discus throw	58.85 m
2018	African Championships	Asaba, Nigeria	2nd	Discus throw	57.37 m

References

1. "Chinwe OKORO | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
2. Physical therapy student Chinwe Okoro takes the discus gold in Nigerian Nationals. Bellarmine Magazine (Fall 2014). Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
3. Former Standout Chinwe Okoro Took Gold in the Discus at the 2014 African Athletics Championships. Louisville Cardinals (2014-08-26). Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
4. Chinwe Okoro. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
5. IAAF Awards Retrieved Gold To Okoro. The Tide (2013-03-15). Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
6. Burundian teen Niyonsaba takes dramatic 800m title as Nigeria top medal table in Porto-Novo – African champs, Day 5. IAAF (2012-07-02). Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
7. Milama wins first-ever sprint title for Gabon – African champs, Day 2. IAAF (2012-06-29). Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
8. Mulkeen, Jon (2014-08-12). Redemption for Makwala at African Championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
9. Mulkeen, Jon (2014-08-14). Souleiman, Ndiku and Ahoure among winners on final day of African Championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.

External links

• Chinwe Okoro at World Athletics
• Interview with Athletics Africa