• Onyekwere, Olatoye Dominate Throws
Last year, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, Edo State, United State-based sprinter, Favour Ofili, was the cynosure of eyes after she grabbed the women’s 100m and 200m titles enroute the Paris Olympics.
In Benin City, Ofili ran a new personal best of 11.06secs in the 100m to secure her first National Championships title since coming to limelight at the Nairobi 2021 World Junior Championships. She ‘strolled’ across the finish line in the 200m in 23.32secs to pick the ticket to represent Nigeria in the 100m and 200m events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming the second Nigerian woman to qualify for both sprint events in a single edition of the Olympics after Tima Godbless.
However, Ofili’s dream was truncated in Paris by some AFN officials, and the event in Benin City seem to be her last appearance in the Nigeria National Trials following her decision to dump Nigeria for Turkey. She began the nationality switch on May 31, 2025.
On Friday, Nigerian athletes began the battle for the 20th World Athletics Championships holding in Tokyo tickets at the Yabatech Sports Ground in Lagos.
Nigeria has never won a medal at a World Championships held in Japan—coming up short in both Tokyo 1991 and Osaka 2007.
Now, with Japan hosting the 2025 edition between September 13 and 21 in Tokyo, Team Nigeria is determined to rewrite the script.
World record holder and reigning queen of the 100m hurdles, Tobiloba Amusan, returned to the tracks of Yaba Tech where her dominance began. However, fans will miss Olympics medallist, Ese Brume, who will not be on ground to chase her sixth national long jump title.
In the men’s sprints, Kanyinsola Ajayi (9.92s) is the man to beat, with Israel Okon, Favour Ashe and Enoch Adegoke all gunning for glory.
NCAA champion, Samuel Ogazi, is the star to beat in the 400m, while Charles Godfred stands tall in the long jump.
In the concluded events, African record holder in women’s discus throw, Chioma Onyekwere, won her third title in Nigeria. Onyekwere threw a distance of 60.76m to win the event followed closely by her compatriot, Obiageri Amaechi, who threw a distance of 59.39m while Kemi Mustapha finished third with 40.95m.
The hammer throw women followed the same trend with Sade Olatoye retaining her title with a throw of 67.50m.
Speaking after the event, Olatoye said her training was disrupted as she was unable to follow her rhythm owing to the people disturbing with their noise.
In the women’s 800m final, Comfort James came top with a time of 2:06.88 followed by Jimoh Rabat and Aminat Alabi in second and third position with a time of 2:08.65 and 2:11.61 respectively.
In another final completed, the men’s High Jump was won by Victor Clement with a height of 2.05m as Praise Ikweki and Adeolu Oyedele took the silver and bronze medal with a height of 2.00m.
AloJapan.com