Annette Echikunwoke, the reigning U.S. women's hammer throw champion and the No. 8 competitor in American history at 246 feet (75.00m), joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing Aug. 4 in her Olympic debut at Stade de Paris in France. Echikunwoke, 27, still holds the African record of 247-8 (75.49m) from 2021 when her national eligibility was representing Nigeria. Since transferring her eligibility to the U.S. in 2022, Echikunwoke competed that same year at the World Athletics Championship for the Americans at Hayward Field in Oregon. She prevailed June 23 at Hayward Field to win the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with an opening-round mark of 245 feet (74.68m) to capture her first U.S. national title. Echikunwoke, a Cincinnati graduate, became the first competitor in program history to win an NCAA Division 1 indoor crown with her sixth-round effort of 73-6.75 (22.42m) in the 2017 women's weight throw final at Texas A&M. She has since elevated among the top 12 all-time performers in the world in the weight throw at 81-3.50 (24.78m). Echikunwoke reflects on having the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, only to be informed while in Japan that she would not be able to compete in the hammer throw as a result of negligence on the part of the country's Athletics Federation when it came to organizing out-of-competition drug testing and submitting necessary paperwork, ultimately resulting in 10 Nigerian athletes being unable to participate. She shares how emotional the experience was and the challenges of returning to the sport in 2022, and how grateful Echikunwoke is to make her Olympic debut in Paris, looking to not only advance to the Aug. 6 final, but contend for a medal. Echikunwoke examines the shift in global supremacy in recent years, with Canada and the U.S. accounting for all six combined women's hammer throw medals at the past two World Championships in Oregon and Hungary, after neither country made the podium in 2021 in Tokyo. She expresses gratitude for the support of her family, friends and coach, and highlights how significant her faith has been in contributing to Echikunwoke's longevity in the sport. Echikunwoke also speaks about how she is looking forward to providing support in Paris to fellow Cincinnati graduates Jordan Thompson, a member of the U.S. women's volleyball team, plus Canadian soccer player Vanessa Gilles.