Muizat Ajoke Odumosu
Encyclopedia
Muizat Ajoke Odumosu (born 27 October 1987 in Lagos
) is a Nigeria
n track and field
athlete who specialises in the 400 metres
and the 400 metres hurdles
. She represented Nigeria at the 2008 Summer Olympics
and competed at the World Championships in Athletics in 2007 and 2009. She was the bronze medallist at the 2007 All-Africa Games
and went on to become the continental champion with a win at the 2008 African Championships
.
In 2010 she won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the Commonwealth Games
, and was runner-up at the African Championships
and also took a silver medal for Africa at the Continental Cup
. She holds the Nigerian record
in the 400 m hurdles with a personal best of 54.59 seconds.
, Odumosu attended Toybat High before moving to the United States
to study at the University of South Alabama
.
team, she was the 400 m Sun Belt Conference
champion in 2004 but missed most of the 2004–05 season due to injury. In 2006 she became the indoor 400 m Sun Belt champion and took a sprint and hurdles double at the outdoor meeting. She reached the NCAA Championships final that year, but was disqualified due to knocking over a hurdle. She improved her personal record to 55.37 seconds to win at the Drake Relays
in 2007 – a world-leading mark at that point of the season.
. She finished fifth in the 400 m hurdles final but managed to help the Nigerian women's 4×400 metres relay team (including Folashade Abugan
, Joy Eze
and Sekinat Adesanyato) the silver medal
, setting a new African junior record of 3:30.84 for the event.
She began competing professionally in 2007 and won the hurdles bronze medal
at the 2007 All-Africa Games
in Algiers
in July. At the 2007 World Championships
(her first senior global championships) she ran in the 400 m hurdles, but was eliminated in the heats stage.
She reached the top of the continental rankings with a gold medal
at the 2008 African Championships
, taking the hurdles win in 55.92 seconds. She made her first Olympic appearance in August 2008, running the 400 metres sprint in Beijing
. She set a personal best 51.39 seconds to progress through the heats, but she was eliminated in the semi-finals. She ran in the 4×400 metres relay and reached the final where the Nigerians finished in seventh placed.
At the 2009 World Championships
she reached the 400 m hurdles semi-finals and was sixth overall with the women's relay team. She also set a meeting record at the Ponce Grand Prix
, where she won in 55.02 seconds. Odumosu set a Nigerian record
at the Herculis
meeting in July 2010, running 54.68 seconds for fifth in the hurdles. She returned to defend her hurdles title at the 2010 African Championships, but she had to content herself with the silver medal
behind Hayat Lambarki. She still reached the top of the podium at the competition, however, as she helped the 4×400 m relay team to a championship record of 3:29.26. Along with Lambarki, Odumosu was selected to represent the African team in the 400 m hurdles at the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
. She improved her national record to 54.59 seconds at the competition and secured the silver medal behind Jamaican Nickiesha Wilson
, running for the Americas.
On 10 October 2010 Odomosu won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games
in Delhi
.
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
) is a Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who specialises in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
and the 400 metres hurdles
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
. She represented Nigeria at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
and competed at the World Championships in Athletics in 2007 and 2009. She was the bronze medallist at the 2007 All-Africa Games
2007 All-Africa Games
The 9th All-Africa Games took place between 11 and 23 July 2007 in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria. Algiers is the first city to hold All-Africa Games for a second time. The 1978 All-Africa Games were held there...
and went on to become the continental champion with a win at the 2008 African Championships
2008 African Championships in Athletics
The 16th African Championships in Athletics was held in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, from April 30 to May 4, 2008. The competition venue was the Addis Ababa Stadium. It is the largest Athletics event held in Ethiopia to date...
.
In 2010 she won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
, and was runner-up at the African Championships
2010 African Championships in Athletics
The 2010 African Championships in Athletics was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 28 July to 1 August 2010.-Background:The African Championships in Athletics were held in Kenya for the first time...
and also took a silver medal for Africa at the Continental Cup
2010 IAAF Continental Cup
The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 2008 when the IAAF revamped the competition format...
. She holds the Nigerian record
Nigerian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Nigeria maintained by the Athletic Federation of Nigeria .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distanceA = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified by IAAF...
in the 400 m hurdles with a personal best of 54.59 seconds.
Early life
Born in LagosLagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Odumosu attended Toybat High before moving to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to study at the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
.
College athletics
At the University of South Alabama, Odumosu represented the college's South Alabama JaguarsSouth Alabama Jaguars
The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are...
team, she was the 400 m Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
champion in 2004 but missed most of the 2004–05 season due to injury. In 2006 she became the indoor 400 m Sun Belt champion and took a sprint and hurdles double at the outdoor meeting. She reached the NCAA Championships final that year, but was disqualified due to knocking over a hurdle. She improved her personal record to 55.37 seconds to win at the Drake Relays
Drake Relays
The Drake Relays is an annual outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, in Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University...
in 2007 – a world-leading mark at that point of the season.
Global competition
Odumosu represented Nigeria internationally for the first time in August 2006, taking part in the World Junior Championships2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China....
. She finished fifth in the 400 m hurdles final but managed to help the Nigerian women's 4×400 metres relay team (including Folashade Abugan
Folashade Abugan
Folashade Abugan is a female Nigerian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. She was the 400 m bronze medalist at the 2007 All-Africa Games and improved to the silver medal at the 2008 African Championships, where she set a personal best time of 50.89 seconds...
, Joy Eze
Joy Eze
Joy Eze is a Nigerian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. Her personal best time is 51.20 seconds, set during the 2007 All-Africa Games....
and Sekinat Adesanyato) the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
, setting a new African junior record of 3:30.84 for the event.
She began competing professionally in 2007 and won the hurdles bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
at the 2007 All-Africa Games
Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games
The athletics competition at the 2007 All-Africa Games was held on the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria between 18 July and 22 July 2007. Nigeria was the most successful nation of the competition having won nine golds and 24 medals in total. South Africa was a close second with seven golds...
in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
in July. At the 2007 World Championships
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
(her first senior global championships) she ran in the 400 m hurdles, but was eliminated in the heats stage.
She reached the top of the continental rankings with a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 2008 African Championships
2008 African Championships in Athletics
The 16th African Championships in Athletics was held in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, from April 30 to May 4, 2008. The competition venue was the Addis Ababa Stadium. It is the largest Athletics event held in Ethiopia to date...
, taking the hurdles win in 55.92 seconds. She made her first Olympic appearance in August 2008, running the 400 metres sprint in Beijing
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. She set a personal best 51.39 seconds to progress through the heats, but she was eliminated in the semi-finals. She ran in the 4×400 metres relay and reached the final where the Nigerians finished in seventh placed.
At the 2009 World Championships
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
she reached the 400 m hurdles semi-finals and was sixth overall with the women's relay team. She also set a meeting record at the Ponce Grand Prix
Ponce Grand Prix
The Ponce Grand Prix de Atletismo is a track and field competition held yearly in Ponce, Puerto Rico at the Francisco Montaner Stadium. The event started in 2007, after the successful hosting of the 2006 Ibero-American Championships.-Competitions:...
, where she won in 55.02 seconds. Odumosu set a Nigerian record
Nigerian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Nigeria maintained by the Athletic Federation of Nigeria .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distanceA = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified by IAAF...
at the Herculis
Herculis
The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-World records:...
meeting in July 2010, running 54.68 seconds for fifth in the hurdles. She returned to defend her hurdles title at the 2010 African Championships, but she had to content herself with the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
behind Hayat Lambarki. She still reached the top of the podium at the competition, however, as she helped the 4×400 m relay team to a championship record of 3:29.26. Along with Lambarki, Odumosu was selected to represent the African team in the 400 m hurdles at the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
2010 IAAF Continental Cup
The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 2008 when the IAAF revamped the competition format...
. She improved her national record to 54.59 seconds at the competition and secured the silver medal behind Jamaican Nickiesha Wilson
Nickiesha Wilson
Nickiesha Wilson is a female hurdler from Jamaica. She competes in the 100m hurdles and the 400m hurdles....
, running for the Americas.
On 10 October 2010 Odomosu won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.