Russell graduate competing for Nigeria

HUNTINGTON - Chinwe Okoro, a 2007 graduate of Russell High School in Flatwoods, Ky., is part of Team Nigeria in the Rio Olympics.Okoro, a 27-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria, is a track and field athlete who qualified for the discus event that begins Monday. Okoro was born in California and moved with her family to the Russell area when she was in fourth grade.


She achieved All-American status at the University of Louisville in 2011, graduating in 2012 with a biology degree, and has a doctorate from Bellarmine University.


"The week she was named to the Olympic team for Nigeria she also passed her boards and earned her doctorate in physical therapy," Louisville women's track and field head coach Dale Cowper said. "So it was a great week for her."

Though she's not on Team USA, you can bet that won't matter to the people of Russell and Louisville when she gets in the circle to heave the discus.

"She's one of the best athletes that's come through here," said Russell athletic director Sam Sparks. "I knew that she had a chance to do some special things. She's a very humble gracious young lady."

Okoro shined at the African Athletics Championship meet in 2014 with a gold medal in discus with a Nigerian national record of 59.79 meters and also won a silver medal in shot put. She won both events in 2012.

In April she had a personal best discus throw of 61.58 meters at the Cherry Blossom Invitational in Athens, Ohio, that got her into the Olympics.

"The (Nigerian) Olympic committee has a standard that you're supposed to hit," she said.

Okoro could have competed in shot put at the 2012 Olympics, but Nigeria only sent one female to London. She was the country's second qualifier and the first athlete was disqualified for doping. Somehow, Okoro's name was scratched from the list.

"I don't think it's really hit me yet," she said about being an Olympian.

Okoro trains mostly in California, but has been working with coach Rusty Smith at South Point High School.

Smith's former athletes include 1988 Olympics shot put gold medalist Randy Barnes from St. Albans, West Virginia.

She set a Kentucky high school shot put state record in 2004 and topped that in summer 2006 by winning gold at the AAU Junior Olympics.

"I was in middle school and they pulled me out to compete in the high school, she said.

She also participated in cross country, basketball and volleyball at Russell, but signed with the Louisville track and field program in November 2006.