Judy Bell-Gam

[1] Bell-Gam and her twin sister, Bella, were born in Opobo Town, Rivers State in 1956.

The girls were in Enugu when the Nigerian Civil War started in 1967 and they moved south to Nnewi.

[2] Among her first international honours was a silver medal in the 100 m hurdles at the 1977 West African Games, finishing second on home turf behind her compatriot Modupe Oshikoya.

[4] At the African Athletics Championships in Dakar in 1979, she ran 14.13 s in the same discipline in front of her sister and the Moroccan Fatima El Faquir and received the gold medal.

[8] This extended a Nigerian tradition in the event, started by Bell-Gam, with other Nigerian victors including Maria Usifo, Ime Akpan, Glory Alozie, Olutoyin Augustus, Seun Adigun, who had won this race for Nigeria at the first African Championships.