Glasgow 2014: Tosin Oke Qualifies First for Saturday’s Triple Jump Final

Team Nigeria’s triple jumpers Tosin Oke and Olumide Olamgoke both leaped into the men’s final of the athletics event on Friday.

Reigning champion Oke, 33, qualified first with his season’s best jump of 16.75cm, while Olamgoke, 23, covered a distance of 16.46cm from the other group.

Tosin is expected to face stern competition from England’s Philip Idowu, whose qualification jump was 5cm behind the Nigerian, India’s Arpinder Singh (16.51cm) and South Africa’s Khotso Mokoena (16.69sm) in Saturday’s final at Hampden Park by 7:10 (Nigerian Time).

Tosin Oke Competing at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Tosin Oke Competing at the 2012 Olympic Games.
In the women’s 4×100m relay heat, Nigeria, without Blessing Okagbare, have also progressed to today’s final.

The reigning Commonwealth Games women’s sprint champion was having a day rest after her all-conquering campaign on the track.

The quartet of Gloria Asumnu, Lawretta Ozoh, Patience George and Dominique Duncan finished first in 44.13secs in their heat, ahead of Team Australia (44.45secs) and Trinidad and Tobago (44.47secs).

The men’s relay team are also into the 4×100m final, with Oghe-Oghene Egwero, Mozavous Jolomi Edwards, Obinna Metu and Mark Jelks finishing 12 seconds behind heat winners, Jamaica, inspired by the much-talked-about Usain Bolt to a finish time of a 38.99secs.