By MONICA IHEAKAM
Team Nigeria long jump sensation, Ese Brume at the weekend, in the United States broke Chioma Ajunwa’s 25-year African women’s long jump record.
Brume leapt a distance of 7.17m at the Chula Vista Field Festival in California to break the 7.13m record set by Ajunwa on her way to winning gold at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.
Not only was that mark a World Lead, it’s now also a new Nigerian and African record.
Ajunwa’s record of 7.12 metres set a quarter of a century ago gave her Nigeria’s first and so far, only individual Olympics gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Brume jumped the distance in her sixth jump, after earlier leaping 6.75m, 6.83m, 6.83m, 6.88m and 6.83m respectively.
Prior to the Chula Vista meet, Brume has not jumped more than 6.61m this year, jumping 6.46m to retain her Nigerian Sports Festival title in April, then 6.60m in California. To now leap over 7m just a few months to the Olympics, is the perfect tune-up to prepare for the Tokyo Games.
Her distance is also the World Lead in the long jump women’s event, as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics approaches.
Her previous Personal Best was 7.05m, which she jumped at the Turkish Championships in Bursa, Turkey August 4, 2019.
America’s Britney Reese placed second with a Season’s Best of 7.10m, while Chantel Malone was third with a jump of 7.07m.