Nigeria’s women’s 100m record holder (10.79 seconds) Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor will take the battle for her first win of the season in the blue rib band event in the money-spinning IAAF Diamond League to the final leg in Brussels, Belgium on Friday September 1, following her Fourth-placing display on Sunday at the Müller Grand Prix in Birmingham, England on Sunday.

The Nigerian ran 11.22 seconds in the final of the 100m behind Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson (10.93 seconds), Ta Lou Marie-Josée of Cote d’Ivoire (10.97seconds) and another Jamaican Levy Jura, who ran 11.08 seconds to place third.The reigning Commonwealth double sprints queen thus garnered five points for her effort to bring her total points haul to 22 to place third in the ranking for the final in Belgium behind Thompson and Ta Lou.

Okagbare will thus battle the duo of Thompson and Ta Lou as well as Ahye Michelle-Lee of Trinidad and Tobago,Dafne Schippers of Holland, Akinosun Morolake of USA, Ahoure Murielle of Cote d’Ivoire and Levy Jura of Jamaica to contend with in the race for the $50,000 top prize.

Aside from the prize money, the Nigerian will also hope to finish the season on a high by recording her first win in the event.She was third in Paris (11.09 seconds), third in London (10.99 seconds), fourth in Rabat (11.03 seconds) and now fourth again in Birmingham. She will as well seek to break 11 seconds for the second time this season after the 10.99 seconds she ran last month in London at the ninth leg of the 14-leg IAAF Diamond League series.

Report by Miyen Akiri