| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 15, 1942 Asaba, Nigeria |
| Sport | |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Sport | Track and Field |
Violet Obiamaka Odogwu-Nwajei (born May 15, 1942) [1] is a former Nigerian track and field athlete. She is a former president of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria and a vice-president of the Confederation of African Athletics. [2]
Odogwu was born in Asaba, Delta State. [3] She started her education in the city before moving to Lagos, where she completed her secondary education.[ citation needed ]
In the 1950s, Violet and her sister Juliet ran for the Ladies Sports Club. [4] In 1958, she represented Nigeria at the 1958 Commonwealth Games. [5] Her progressive performance at the event earned her the 'Sports Woman of the Year' award. [3] After the games, she continued with her studies, taking courses in secretarial studies. In 1963, she went back to athletics and represented Nigeria at the first All-African Games in the 80-metre hurdle. [3]
Odogwu was a member of the Nigerian contingent at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston. At the Kingston Games, she earned a bronze medal by jumping 20 feet, 2+1⁄2 inches, in the long jump event to become the first female African medalist at the Commonwealth Games. [6]
In 1968, she captained the Nigerian women's athletics team to the 1968 Olympics. She did not win a medal but was a finalist in long jump [7] She was a bronze medalist at the Little Olympics, held a year earlier in preparation for the main event.[ citation needed ]
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