Ese Brume, Nigeria’s world silver medalist, narrowly missed the chance to clinch victory in the long jump event at the Diamond League final in Oregon on Sunday night due to an unexpected injury, according to her coach, Kayode Yahaya.
Brume, who secured her World Silver medal at the same venue during the 2021 World Championships, had recorded a season-best jump of 6.85m in her fifth attempt and was poised to claim the title. However, Ivana Vuleta of Serbia, the reigning World indoor and outdoor champion, made a sudden leap of 6.85m, matching Brume’s jump and denying her the opportunity to win a global event for the second time.
Ivana Vuleta, who had previously defeated Brume for the world indoor gold in March 2022, was trailing behind the Nigerian after three rounds of jumps but secured victory on countback with her 6.85m leap in the final jump. Brume’s second-best jump of the night was 6.69m, also achieved in the fifth round.
Coach Kayode Yahaya, en route to Houston, Texas, confirmed that Brume couldn’t make her sixth and final jump due to an injury sustained during the competition. He expressed belief that had she been able to make her final jump, she could have won the title, emphasizing that there will be other opportunities in the future. Brume, along with fellow athlete Tobi Amusan, is already at the airport heading to their respective destinations.
Ese Brume had aimed to become the second Nigerian, after Tobi Amusan, and the first field event athlete to secure a Diamond League title. Her quest to become the most decorated Nigerian in World Championships history was previously thwarted by Romania’s Alina Rotaru-Kottmann, who jumped 6.88m in the final round, pushing Brume from third to fourth place at Budapest 2023.
