Annette Echikunwoke
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American Nigerian |
| Born | 29 July 1996 |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Hammer throw |
Annette Echikunwoke (born 29 July 1996)
Early life
Annette Echikunwoke started athletic throwing events in school after she won the shot put and discus throw at a sports day event, deciding that if she was good she might as well continue.[2] Her cousin is actress Megalyn Echikunwoke.[3]
Career
Echikunwoke is from Pickerington North in Ohio, and attended the University of Cincinnati for both her undergraduate and master's degree, where she was on the track and field team. With Cincinnati she won the weight throw event at the 2017 NCAA Championship, also becoming the university's first NCAA champion in track and field.[1][2] She was eligible to compete for the United States until 31 December 2020, when she elected to represent her parents' home country of Nigeria in Olympic national selection.[2][4]
In 2021, Echikunwoke threw four successive
Echikunwoke was due to represent Nigeria at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but was told on 29 July 2021 that she could not compete due to the negligence of the Nigerian Federation not setting up drug tests and not relaying her need to share her whereabouts. Ten Nigerian athletes set to compete in 2021, a large percentage of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC)'s delegation, were disqualified because of the negligence of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria. The AFN said that many of its athletes based in the United States did not keep the AFN updated on their location, though they did not name Echikunwoke; she claimed that the AFN requested her location for drug testing six times, and that she provided the location but no officials ever came to perform the tests.[6]
National titles
References
- ^ a b Harrington, Joe. "Hammer thrower, former University of Cincinnati athlete and Olympian, Annette Echikunwoke out of Tokyo games". The Enquirer. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ a b c "Athletics ECHIKUNWOKE Annette - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "megalyn: So my cousin is an unstoppable super star Olympian! Please follow and support her while she prepares to win the gold for Nigeria!!". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Annette ECHIKUNWOKE". World Athletics. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Jess Whittington (23 May 2021). "Crouser joins 23-metre club in Tucson". World Athletics. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Officials lied about my whereabouts, says disqualified Echikunwoke". Punch Newspapers. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
