Annette Nneka Echikunwoke Is The First Woman To Win An Olympic Medal In Women’s Hammer Throw

Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, a 28-year-old Nigerian American, was set to represent the West African country at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago but lost her spot due to regulations. She has now made history as the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic medal in women’s hammer.

The Washington Post reported that Echikunwoke was emotional after her final swing of the competition, securing a silver medal on Tuesday night before a packed Stade de France crowd. Despite setbacks, she is grateful to be in this position now.

“I think [this medal] could have happened three years ago, but I’m happy it’s happening now,” Echikunwoke said. “I feel like everything happens for a reason, even if it’s bad or good or ugly or whatever the case may be. This is beautiful.”

Echikunwoke’s Olympic journey is a compelling story of perseverance and achievement. The Cincinnati-born athlete, who set multiple records, was poised to represent the Nigerian team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She was prepared to return to the West African country with a gold medal, but Echikunwoke received devastating news, making that dream seem unattainable. An Olympic administrator said she and nine others were cut due to Nigeria’s negligence regarding drug testing and athlete tracking issues.

Echikunwoke felt crushed after realizing she could not represent her parents’ country and become an Olympic medalist.

“I was depressed definitely a couple months after,” Echikunwoke said, per the Post. “I just knew the underlying feeling that God called me to do this. It’s not always been easy. There’s definitely days where I’m like, ‘Why am I doing this?'”

This time, Echikunwoke was determined to represent the country of her birth. According to the outlet, she led in the third round of Tuesday night’s event with a throw of 75.46 meters (247 feet, 7 inches). She was in a close contest with Canadian Camryn Rogers, who threw 76.97 meters (252 feet, 6 inches) to win gold. Echikunwoke won silver, and the bronze went to China’s Zhao Jie.

“It doesn’t feel real right now,” Echikunwoke said, per ESPN . “I can’t really put it into words.”