About 86 athletes represented Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Olympics, coming to an end on August 21.

However, there were other people of Nigerian descent at the Olympics flying the flags of other countries. Here is a list of the athletes with a brief profile of each of them.

Jeremy Taiwo – USA

Jeremy Taiwo is an American decathlete who won bronze for USA in Men’s decathlon 1500m. His father, Joseph Taiwo, is a Nigerian former triple jumper who competed at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. His mother is Colombian and a lawyer.

Morolake Akinosun – USA

Morolake Akinosun is a Nigeria-born American sprinter who tweeted her dream of been in the Olympics six years ago. She is in the USA women’s 4×100 team currently in the finals.

Bolade Ajomale – Canada

Mobolade Ajomale is a Canadian of Nigerian descent. The 20-yearwill be running in Canada’s colours in the 4x100m finals at the Rio Olympics.

Femi Ogunode – Quatar

Femi Ogunode was born on May 15, 1991 in Ondo State. He is the record holder for the fastest man in Asia. He said the move to become a Qatari national in 2010 was a calculated risk that paid off. He alleges nepotism and corruption in Nigerian athletics. He did not make it to the quarter finals of the 200m and 100m in which he represented Quatar at the Rio Olympics.

Oluwakemi Adekoya – Bahrain

Oluwakemi Adekoya is a Nigerian-born track and field athlete who competes for Bahrain. She holds the 400 metres hurdles record in Bahrain with 54.59 seconds. She ranked 4th in the women’s 400m hurdles event in Rio. She established herself as a hurdler at national level in Nigeria in 2011, placing fifth at the Nigerian championships. In 2012 she improved her best to 57.16 seconds to place second at the Confederation of African Athletics meet in Warri. That year she was runner-up at the Nigerian Olympic trials, but did not have the sufficient qualifying standard.

Ezinne Okparaebo – Norway   

  

Ezinne Okparaebo is a Nigerian-born Norwegian track and field sprinter. She was born in Imo State Nigeria, but has been living in Norway since the age of nine. The 28-year-old made a debut for Norway at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it past the first round of the 100m event at Rio.   

 Ayomide Folorunso – Italy

Ayomide Folorunso is a Nigerian-born Italian athlete. The 19-year-old represented Italy  in the 400 metres hurdles at the Rio Olympics. She was Born in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State on October 17, 1996.

Maria Benedicta Chigbolu – Italy

Maria Benedicta Chigbolu is an Italian sprinter, born in Rome to Nigerian mother and Italian father. The 27-year-old contested in the 4×400 relay in Rio in the colours of Italy.

Keturah Orji – USA

Keturah Orji is an American of Nigerian descent who represented USA in the triple jump event at Rio. She was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to a West Indian mother and a Nigerian Father. She finished 4th in the women’s triple jump event.

Barbara Nwaba – USA

Barbara Nwaba is an American heptathlete with Nigerian parents. She was born on January 18, 1989 in Los Angeles, California. She came third in the women’s heptathlon shot put.

Paola Ogechi Egonu – Italy

Paola Ogechi Egonu played in the Italian female volleyball team at the Rio Olympics. She was born in Veneto to Nigerian parents on December 18, 1998.

 

Edidiong Ofonime Odiong – Bahrain

The 17-year-old Nigerian athlete represented Quatar in the 200m women’s event where she reached the semi-finals.