Italian-Born Nigerian Athlete Daisy Osakue Attacked In Italy

An attack on 22-year-old Italian-born Nigerian athlete, Daisy Osakue on Monday, July 30, has kicked up a racism row in Italy.

Osakue, born in Turin to Nigerian parents, was struck in her left eye when unknown assailants hurled an egg at her face from a car at Moncalieri, near Turin. It landed in her eye with an injured cornea but is expected to make a full recovery before next month’s European Athletics Championships in Germany.

Emerging from a clinic with a bandage over her left eye, Osakue said she thinks she was mistaken for one of the African prostitutes who often work the street on the outskirts of Turin she was crossing.

The athlete, said she saw a car speeding toward her while she was in a crosswalk and dashed to the sidewalk to avoid the vehicle. She recalled feeling something strike her eye and falling forward.

“I’m sorry to say it, but I think we’re dealing with racism,” Osakue, who currently trains and studies criminal justice in the U.S. state of Texas, told Italian TV.