Chinwe Okoro

Chinwe Okoro (born 20 June 1989) is a Nigerian track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and the discus throw.[1] 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).

Chinwe Okoro
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Nigeria
African Championships
2012 Porto NovoShot put
2012 Porto NovoDiscus throw
2014 MarrakeshDiscus throw
2014 MarrakeshShot put
2016 DurbanDiscus throw

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
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
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. "Shot put - Unionpedia, the concept map". en.unionpedia.org. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  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.
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