Injury Hindered Ese Brume's Quest to Make History in the Diamond League
Kayode Yahaya, the coach of Nigeria's world silver medalist, Ese Brume, has disclosed that an unexpected injury prevented her from clinching victory in the long jump event at the Diamond League final in Oregon on Sunday night.
Brume, who had previously secured a World Silver medal at the same venue during the 2021 World Championships, achieved a seasonal jump of 6.85m in her fifth attempt that evening and had high hopes of claiming the title. However, Ivana Vuleta of Serbia, the reigning World indoor and outdoor champion, made a surprising jump of 6.85m, matching Brume's distance, and thus thwarted her chances of winning a global event for the second time.
The Serbian athlete, who had narrowly beaten Brume to claim the world indoor gold in March 2022 on her home turf in Belgrade, initially trailed the Nigerian after three rounds of jumping. However, she executed a remarkable leap of 6.85m in her final attempt, securing her first-ever Diamond League title through a countback. Earlier in the competition, she had achieved a jump of 6.77m in the fifth round, while Brume's second-best jump of the night was a 6.69m leap, also in the fifth round.
Coach Yahaya explained that Brume was unable to make her sixth and final jump due to an injury she sustained during the course of the competition.
"Ese sustained an injury and was unable to complete her final jump. I believe that if she had been able to take her sixth jump, she could have secured the title. However, there are always more opportunities in the future. Both Ese and Tobi Amusan are currently at the airport, en route to their respective destinations," Yahaya remarked.
Ese Brume, hailing from Delta State, had aspired to become the second Nigerian, following Tobi Amusan, and the first field event athlete to capture a Diamond League title. This ambition came after her quest to become the most decorated Nigerian in World Championships history was thwarted by Romania's Alina Rotaru-Kottmann. In Budapest 2023, Alina Rotaru-Kottmann achieved a final-round jump of 6.88m, pushing Brume from third to fourth place.
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