Blessing Okagbare Biography: Age, Husband, Children & Net Worth

Blessing Okagbare – Track and field athlete

Blessing Oghnewresem Okagbare-Otegheri, a former Nigerian track and field athlete, is known for her specialization in long jump and sprints. Born on October 9, 1988, in Sapele, Delta, Nigeria, she has left an indelible mark on the sport. Okagbare is an Olympic and World Championships medalist in the long jump and a world medalist in the 200 meters. However, her career has been overshadowed by a 10-year ban due to breaching multiple World Athletics anti-doping rules, which started on July 30, 2021. Despite this setback, Okagbare’s achievements remain significant in the annals of Nigerian and African athletics.

Early Life and Introduction to Athletics

Born into Urhobo heritage, Okagbare’s journey began in Sapele, Delta, Nigeria. Given her athletic physique, her teachers and family encouraged her to take up sports. Initially, she played football as a teenager at her high school. However, her interest in track and field began in 2004. She participated in several disciplines early on, competing in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump events at the Nigerian school championships and winning a medal in each. On the senior national stage, she was a triple jump bronze medalist at the 2004 Nigerian National Sports Festival. Okagbare’s first international outing came at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics, where she performed in the qualifying rounds of both the long and triple jump competitions.

In May 2007, at the All-Africa Games trials in Lagos, she established a Nigerian record of 14.13 meters in the triple jump. At the 2007 All-Africa Games, she won the silver medal in the long jump and finished fourth in the triple jump. In the latter competition, her Nigerian record was beaten by Chinonye Ohadugha, who jumped 14.21 meters.

Olympic and African Medals

As a 19-year-old, she won a silver medal in the women’s long jump event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She was selected to compete at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics but did not start either the 100 meters or long jump.

Okagbare scored a 100 meters/long jump double at the NCAA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship for the University of Texas at El Paso, completing an undefeated collegiate streak for the UTEP Miners that year. She won the Nigerian 100 meters title in 2010, running a time of 11.04 seconds, and stated that she was opting out of the long jump to save herself for the upcoming African championships.

At the African Championships in 2010, she won gold in the long jump again with a distance of 6.62 m while her compatriot Comfort Onyali took silver. Okagbare also won gold in the 100 meters distance with a run of 11.03 seconds flat. She won her third gold at the end of the championship as part of the Nigerian 4×100 meters women’s relay team. The team of Okagbare, Osayomi, Lawretta Ozoh, and Agnes Osazuwa set a new championship record with a run of 43.43 seconds, more than a full second ahead of the silver-winning Cameroonian quartet.

In 2011, Okagbare continued to build on her earlier endeavors by establishing herself as a 100 meters runner. At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Okagbare placed fifth in the 100 meters final with a run of 11.12 seconds. However, she did not make it to the final of the long jump as her best jump of 6.36 meters was not enough to get her out of her qualifying group. She concluded her 2011 season by winning three medals at the All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique. She won silver in the 100 meters behind compatriot Oludamola Osayomi with a run of 11.01 seconds and gold in the long jump with a jump of 6.50 meters. She was part of the Nigerian quartet that won gold in the 4 × 100 meters with a time of 43.34.

London 2012 and 2013 World Championships

At London 2012, Okagbare participated in her second Olympic Games. Going into the Olympics, she had run several fast 100 meters races, and there was much anticipation and hope of a medal. However, the 2012 Olympics were not as successful for Okagbare as her 2008 outing. She established a new personal best of 10.92 seconds in the 100 meters semi-final but placed eighth in the final with a run of 11.01 seconds.

2013 would prove to be a breakthrough year for Okagbare. In April 2013, in Walnut, California, Blessing Okagbare set a personal record in the 200 meters with a time of 22.31 seconds. Then, in July, she improved her personal best in the long jump with successive jumps of 6.98 meters at the Athletissima meet in Lausanne and 7.00 meters during the Monaco Herculis meet. On 27 July 2013, at the London Anniversary Games, Okagbare set a new African record of 10.86 seconds in her 100 meters race. She won the final about an hour later, setting a new African record of 10.79 seconds, in a race where she beat reigning 100 meters Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Okagbare’s record eclipsed the existing record by compatriot Glory Alozie of 10.90 seconds, which had stood since 1998.

At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Okagbare won the silver medal in the long jump. Her jump of 6.99 meters put her in second place behind Brittney Reese of the United States by only two centimeters. In the 100 meters final, she placed sixth with a run of 11.04 seconds and also placed third in the 200 meters race.

2014 Commonwealth Games

Okagbare participated in both the 100 meters and 200 meters races. She made it through to the finals of the 100 meters and won with a time of 10.85 seconds, breaking the games record of 10.91 seconds set by Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie 12 years earlier at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Okagbare also won the gold medal in the 200 meters, with a time of 22.25 seconds. In doing so, she became the fourth woman to win the 100 meters and 200 meters double at the Commonwealth Games.

Blessing Okagbare Net Worth

Blessing Okagbare’s net worth is estimated to be around $1.5 million, accumulated through her successful career in track and field as a renowned sprinter, winning numerous medals and accolades, including Olympic and World Championship medals, and earning from endorsement deals and sponsorships with top brands, as well as ventures as a model, gracing the cover of prestigious magazines like Vogue Italia, solidifying her status as one of Nigeria’s most successful and marketable athletes.

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Blessing Okagbare Personal Life

Blessing Okagbare is a private person, but it is known that she is married to her husband, Igho Otegheri, a former Nigerian footballer, whom she met in 2009 and tied the knot with in 2010. The couple has two children together, a boy, and a girl, and they prioritize family time amidst their busy schedules. Okagbare credits her husband for his unwavering support and encouragement throughout her career, and the family often attends her competitions, cheering her on from the stands. Despite her fame, Okagbare values her family life and strives to maintain a balance between her professional and personal responsibilities. You can find her on social media.