{{short description|Nigerian sprinter}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Use Nigerian English|date=August 2019}} '''Halimat Oyinoza Ismaila''' (born 3 July 1984 in Ilorin, Kwara) is a Nigerian track and field athlete who won a bronze medal in 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics.<ref name="beijing">{{cite web |url=http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/6/245866.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909172234/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/6/245866.shtml |archive-date=2008-09-09 |title=Athlete biography: Halimat Ismaila |website=beijing2008.cn |access-date=27 August 2008}}</ref>
Ismalia was an All-American sprinter for the UTEP Miners track and field team, finishing 6th in the 4 × 100 m at the 2008 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.<ref>{{cite web |title=Determined to succeed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/el-paso-times-determined-to-succeed/191626501/ |work=El Paso Times |access-date=18 February 2026 |page=15 |date=27 May 2008}}</ref><ref name="4 × 100 meters relay at the NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships">{{cite web |url=https://www.ustfccca.org/records-lists/meet-history-by-event?gender=2&series=3369&event=18 |title=4 × 100 meters relay at the NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships |website=USTFCCCA |access-date=28 December 2024}} {{Cite web |url=https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ncaaw4x1.pdf |title=Track and Field News NCAA Outdoor w4x1 |website=Track and Field News |access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref>
Ismaila represented Nigeria at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing competing at the 100 metres sprint. In her first round heat she placed fourth in a time of 11.72 which was not enough to advance to the second round.<ref name="beijing"/> Together with Ene Franca Idoko, Gloria Kemasuode, Agnes Osazuwa and Oludamola Osayomi she also took part in the 4 × 100 metres relay. In their first round heat (without Ismaila) they placed fourth behind Belgium, Great Britain and Brazil. Their time of 43.43 seconds was the best non-directly qualifying time and the sixth time overall out of sixteen participating nations. With this result they qualified for the final in which they replaced Osazuwa with Ismaila. They sprinted to a time of 43.04 seconds, a third place and a bronze medal after Russia and Belgium.<ref name="beijing"/> In 2016, the Russian team was disqualified and stripped of their gold medal due to doping violations by one of the Russian runners, Yuliya Chermoshanskaya, thereby promoting Nigeria to the silver medal position.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1040695/russia-stripped-of-beijing-2008-womens-relay-gold-after-positive-retest-by-team-member|title=Russia stripped of Beijing 2008 women's relay gold after positive retest by team member|website=insidethegames.biz|date=16 August 2016}}</ref>
==Achievements== {| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} |- !colspan="6"|Representing {{NGR}} |- |2008 |Olympic Games |Beijing, PR China |bgcolor="silver" | 2nd |4 × 100 m relay |43.04 s |}
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/is/halimat-ismaila-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418121650/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/is/halimat-ismaila-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-18 |title=Halimat Ismaila}} *{{World Athletics}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ismaila, Halimat}} Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:Nigerian women sprinters Category:Olympic athletes for Nigeria Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic silver medalists for Nigeria Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics Category:Olympic women sprinters Category:People from Ilorin Category:21st-century Nigerian sportswomen Category:UTEP Miners women's track and field athletes {{Nigeria-Olympic-medalist-stub}} {{Nigeria-athletics-bio-stub}}