Former Team Nigeria athlete Annette Echikunwoke has made history by becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in hammer throw.

On Tuesday, Echikunwoke achieved a season’s best throw of 75.48 meters to secure the silver medal at the ongoing Paris Olympics.

Gold medalist Camryn Rogers (R) of Team Canada and silver medalist Annette Nneka Echikunwoke of Team United States celebrate after competing in the Women’s Hammer Throw Final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

This performance also sets a new national record for the United States.

Echikunwoke’s path to this achievement was not without significant challenges and disappointment.

In 2021, she visited Nigeria for the first time after initially choosing to represent the country in 2020.

She competed in the Nigerian Olympic Trials and holds both the Nigerian and African records in the hammer throw with a mark of 75.49 meters.

However, she faced a setback when she was disqualified from the 2020 Olympics, along with nine other athletes, due to missing mandatory tests—a consequence of an error by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.

Despite protesting in Tokyo with other affected athletes, Echikunwoke was unable to compete.

Following these disappointment, she changed her allegiance to the United States and went on to achieve her historic silver medal at the Paris Games.

Her story reflects the Nigeria Athletics federation’s failure to prioritize the welfare of its athletes, culminating in a missed opportunity for Echikunwoke due to administrative errors.