August 22, (THEWILL) – Nigerian long jumper, Ese Brume, expressed determination to bounce back despite narrowly missing out on a medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Speaking after her event in the competition, Brume said she was disappointed but not discouraged by her fourth-place finish. Brume had been hoping to become the first Nigerian to win three medals at the World Championships. She took bronze in 2019 and silver last in 2022. Her best jump of 6.84m on Sunday, was not quite enough to get on the podium this time.
Romanian veteran, Alina Rotaru-Kottmann, produced a last-round leap of 6.88m to clinch the bronze medal ahead of Brume. Brume said she came prepared to succeed in Budapest and make her country proud and her fans happy, but acknowledged she is going through a phase and things did not work out as planned.
The soft-spoken Brume insisted she is not a failure and promised to come back stronger in 2024. She said: “Everything in life had a phase. I am going through a phase now, but I must say that I am not a failure. I pray that things take a different shape next year both at the African Games and Aris Olympics.”
With reigning world indoor champion, Ivana Vuleta, winning gold for Serbia and American Tara Davis-Woodhall taking silver, Brume was unable to keep her streak going of World Championships medals. But at just 25 years old, she emphasised this is not the end of her athletics career and her best days may still be ahead.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
