Annette Nneka Echikunwoke ( ; born July 29, 1996) is a Nigerian-American

hammer thrower The hammer throw (HT for short) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The hammer used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by t ...

who lives in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. She was due to represent Nigeria at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, but was disqualified due to the negligence of the

Athletics Federation of Nigeria The Athletics Federation of Nigeria is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Nigeria. It is a member of the Confederation of African Athletics and the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was founded as the Central Com ...

. She changed allegiance and represented the United States at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

, winning a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

in the event, the first Olympic medal for the U.S. in the women's hammer throw event. She holds the African area record in hammer throw, with a throw of 75.49m in

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

in 2021.

Early life

Annette Echikunwoke started athletic throwing events in school after she won the

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

and

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

at a sports day event, deciding that if she was good she might as well continue. Her cousin is actress

Megalyn Echikunwoke Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke ( ; born May 28, 1983), also known as Megalyn E.K., is an American actress, known primarily for her roles in television and film. Born in Spokane, Washington, she was discovered while performing in a theatric ...

Career

Echikunwoke is from Pickerington, Ohio and attended the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

for both her undergraduate and

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

, where she was on the track and field team. With Cincinnati she won the

weight throw Weight throw (or Weight for distance) is a traditional strength sport and throwing event derived from ancient Scottish Highland games. Unlike its other counterpart, the Weight over bar which involves a stationary pendulum like swing for height, ...

event at the 2017

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Championship, also becoming the university's first NCAA champion in track and field. In 2020, she elected to represent her parents' home country of Nigeria in Olympic national selection. In 2021, Echikunwoke threw four successive

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

and

African records African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** List ...

in hammer, setting the mark at 75.49m USATF Throws Festival in

, Arizona, on May 22, 2021. She is ranked #7 in the world in the women's hammer throw; she has previously been ranked #101 in the world in women's shot put with a personal best of 16.79m in 2017. She also throws discus and 20lb weight (a US indoor equivalent to the hammer). Echikunwoke was due to represent Nigeria at the

in Tokyo, but was told on July 29, 2021 that she could not compete due to the negligence of the Nigerian Federation not setting up drug tests and not relaying her need to share her whereabouts. Ten Nigerian athletes set to compete in 2021, a large percentage of the

Nigeria Olympic Committee The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) is the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee representing Nigeria, responsible for co-ordinating and supporting Nigerian competitors in the Olympic Games. It is also the body responsib ...

(NOC)'s delegation, were disqualified because of the negligence of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria. The AFN said that many of its athletes based in the United States did not keep the AFN updated on their location, though they did not name Echikunwoke; she claimed that the AFN requested her location for drug testing six times, and that she provided the location but no officials ever came to perform the tests. Echikunwoke represented the United States in the women's hammer throw at the

. She threw 75.48 meters, placing 2nd at the event. Her silver medal for this was the first Olympic medal for the U.S. in the women's hammer throw event.

National titles

NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and 1 in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps ...

**Weight throw:

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

References

External links

*
Annette Echikunwoke
at

Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the college sports, athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. The teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats were pr ...

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Echikunwoke, Annette 1996 births Living people American female hammer throwers Nigerian female hammer throwers Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics American sportspeople of Nigerian descent NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners Cincinnati Bearcats women's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Ohio 21st-century American sportswomen