Nwanneka Mariauchenna "Nikki" Okwelogu (born 5 May 1995) is a Nigerian track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and discus throw events. She was the 2016 discus gold medalist at the African Championships in Athletics. Born in the United States, she set Ivy League records in the throws while at Harvard University.
Career Born in Fresno, California to Nigerian parents, Nikki attended Clovis West High School where she competed in both shot put and discus.State track meet: Clovis West discus star Nikki Okwelogu's legacy of success. RunnerSpace. Retrieved on 2016-07-03. She went on to attend Harvard University from 2013 and competed for their Harvard Crimson track team. In her first year there she broke the Ivy League record in the discus with a throw of and set a school record in the shot put at .Nikki Okwelogu. Harvard Crimson. Retrieved on 2016-07-03. Her sister Nonny also became an Ivy League thrower, attending Princeton.Nonny Okwelogu. Princeton Tigers. Retrieved on 2016-07-03.
The 2014 season saw her first national success with a shot put win at the Nigerian Athletics Championships. She made her international debut that year. At the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics she competed in both the shot and discus and was a shot put finalist.Nwanneka Okwelogu. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-03. Her first medal followed shortly after at the 2014 African Championships in Athletics, where she was narrowly fourth in the shot put but comfortably took the discus silver medal behind Chinwe Okoro. At nineteen years old, she was the youngest entrant in those competitions.Okwelogu Brings Home Silver Medal at the 2014 African Athletics Championships. Harvard Crimson (2014-08-14). Retrieved on 2016-07-03. She also competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games that summer, ending in ninth.Nwanneka Okwelogu. Glasgow2014. Retrieved on 2016-07-03.
She improved her bests in the 2015 season, adding more than a meter to her shot put with a throw of and having a discus best of . Her shot put best was an Ivy League record. She placed sixth at the 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. The following year she reached her first collegiate podium with third place in the shot put at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships. She also was an NCAA Outdoor finalist, taking eighth.Okwelogu, Smith Crowned First Team All-America at NCAA Indoor Championships. Harvard Crimson (2016-03-1). Retrieved on 2016-07-03.Okwelogu Nets All-America Honors in Shot Put, Three Student-Athletes Advance to Finals at NCAA Championships. Harvard Crimson (2016-06-09). Retrieved on 2016-07-03.
Okwelogu established herself among Africa's best throwers at the 2016 African Championships in Athletics by taking the discus gold medal in a personal record of , which helped Nigeria to a sweep of the medals alongside 2014 champion Okoro and Chioma Onyekwere.Botton, Wesley (2016-06-24). Semenya wins 1500m at African Championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-03. She also claimed the shot put silver medal behind Cameroon's Auriol Dongmo.Fierro, Julio (2016-06-29). Okwelogu Shines on International Stage in African Championships. The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved on 2016-07-03.
International competitions 2014World Junior ChampionshipsEugene, United States11thShot put14.77 m6th (q)Discus throw49.07 mCommonwealth GamesNew Delhi, India9thShot put15.13 mAfrican ChampionshipsMarrakesh, Morocco4thShot put15.14 m2ndDiscus throw51.66 m2016African ChampionshipsDurban, South Africa2ndShot put17.07 m1stDiscus throw56.75 mOlympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil29th (q)Shot put16.67 m
National titles Nigerian Athletics Championships Shot put: 2014
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