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Former Pirate headed to Paris

6/27/2024, 6 p.m.
Hampton University has celebrated Olympic medalists before and may again.
Chidi Okezie

Hampton University has celebrated Olympic medalists before and may again.

Former Pirates sensation Chidi Okezie has qualified to represent Nigeria at the upcoming Paris Summer Games. He will run in the open 400 meters and 4-x-400 relay.

The long-stemmed, 6-foot-6, 30-year-old punched his ticket to France by winning the 400 meters in African Games in March in Ghana, and by helping Nigeria to a third-place finish in the 4-x-400 relay.

HU Class of 2017 (with Masters in Sports Administration), Okezie’s winning 400 time was 45.06. A native of Philadelphia, Okezie has a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother. That’s how he qualifies to run for the African nation.

HU boasts two former Olympic medalists on the women’s side.

Francena McCorory won gold at the 2012 Olympics in London and was part of the U.S. 4-x-100 relay. She added a second gold in 2016 on the gold-medal 4-x-400 relay in Brazil.

Kellie Wells (James River High) took bronze at the 2012 Games in the 100m hurdles.