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Mary Onyali-Omagbemi

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Mary Onyali
Mary Onyali-Omagbemi at the 2023 African Games in Accra, Ghana.
Personal information
Born (1968-02-03) 3 February 1968 (age 56)
Medal record
Women's Athletics
Representing  Nigeria
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta 200 m
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 1986 Athens 200 m
Bronze medal – third place 1986 Athens 4x100 m relay
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 100 m
Silver medal – second place 1994 Victoria 200m
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 4 × 100 m relay

Nkemdilim “Mary” Onyali-Omagbemi (née Onyali, born 3 February 1968) is a Nigerian former sprinter, she was a 5x Olympian 1988 - 2004. She had won the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1992 Olympic Games and in the 200 m at the 1996 Olympic Games. She also won the 1994 Commonwealth Games 100 metres title.

Career

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Mary being honoured at the 2023 African Games in Accra, Ghana.

Onyali-Omagbemi performed especially well in the All-Africa Games, winning a total of 7 individual medals in the short sprints. She won 100 m in 1991, 1995 and 2003 and took a bronze medal in 1987. Gold medals in 200 m were taken in 1987, 1995 and 2003. Furthermore, the Nigerian 4 × 100 m relay team won all races between 1987 and 2003, at the African Games.

Born Mary Onyali, by the time of the 2000 Olympics she was known as Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, having married fellow Nigerian sprinter Victor Omagbemi.

Competing for the Texas Southern Tigers track and field program, she won an NCAA title in the 200 metres.[1]

Her consecutive Olympic appearances from 1988 to 2004 made her the first Nigerian to compete at five Olympics.[2] This feat was equalled by table tennis players Bose Kaffo and Segun Toriola four years later in Beijing, PR China. Mary Onyali-Omagbemi currently serves as the Special Adviser (Technical) to the Director General of the National Sports Commission in Nigeria,[3] and is a part of the consultation committee for the proposed Sports University of Nigeria, Idumuje-Ugboko.

On the 21st of September 2020, she was made one of the ambassadors of the re-branded National Principal's Cup; a grassroots championship tournament that was popular across Nigeria that discovered many talents, some who were former Super Eagles stars.[4]

Achievements

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Nigeria
1986 World Junior Championships Athens, Greece 1st (sf)[5] 100m 11.42 w (wind: +2.5 m/s)
2nd 200m 23.30 (wind: +0.6 m/s)
3rd 4 × 100 m relay 44.13
1987 World Indoor Championships Indianapolis, United States 5th 200 m 23.56
All-Africa Games Nairobi, Kenya 3rd 100 m 11.47
1st 200 m 22.66
World Championships Rome, Italy 6th 200 m 22.52
1988 Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea semi-finals 200 m 22.43
heats 4 × 400 m 3:30.21
1989 World Cup Barcelona, Spain 2nd 100 m 11.23
2nd 200 m 22.82
— 4 × 100 m DNF
1991 World Championships Tokyo, Japan 7th 100 m 11.39
4th 4 × 100 m 42.77
5th 4 × 400 m 3:24.45
All-Africa Games Cairo, Egypt 1st 100 m 11.12
1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain 7th 100 m 11.15
semi-finals 200 m 22.60
3rd 4 × 100 m relay 42.81
1993 World Championships Stuttgart, Germany 5th 100 m 11.05
5th 200 m 22.32
1994 Commonwealth Games Victoria, Canada 1st 100 m 11.06
2nd 200 m 22.35
1st 4 × 100 m relay 42.99
World Cup London, United Kingdom 3rd 100 m 11.52
4th 200 m 22.82
1st 4 × 100 m 42.92
1995 World Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 7th 100 m 11.19
6th 200 m 22.71
All-Africa Games Harare, Zimbabwe 1st 100 m 11.18
1st 200 m 22.75
1996 Olympic Games Atlanta, United States 7th 100 m 11.13
3rd 200 m 22.38
5th 4 × 100 m 42.56
1998 World Cup Johannesburg, South Africa 3rd 100 m 11.05
4th 4 × 100 m 42.91
2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia quarter-finals 100 m 11.40
quarter-finals 200 m 23.03
7th 4 × 100 m 44.05
2003 World Championships Paris, France semi-finals 100 m 11.35
semi-finals 200 m 22.97
All-Africa Games Abuja, Nigeria 1st 100 m 11.12
1st 200 m 23.09
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece quarter-finals 200 m 23.75

Personal bests

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mary Onyali (1996) - Texas Southern Hall of Fame". Texas Southern University Athletics. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Dare appoints Mary Onyali, ex-sprinter, as special adviser". TheCable. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  3. ^ "That long chat with Mary Onyali!". Vanguard Newspapers. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Organisers unveil Amokachi, Dosu, Onyali ambassadors".
  5. ^ Disqualified in the final.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Women's 200 m Best Year Performance
alongside France Marie-José Pérec
1996 		Succeeded by
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for  Nigeria
Atlanta 1996 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Flagbearer for  Nigeria
Athens 2004 		Succeeded by
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