Nigeria will today join the rest of the world at the 18th World Athletics Championships taking place in Oregon, United States. Since making her debut at the championships in 1983, Nigeria only managed to pick nine medals made up of four silver and five bronze medals with gold medals still far from being won. Already, the World Athletics have confirmed Nigeria for 15 events while the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) listed a 22-man contingent for the 10-day event. OLALEKAN OKUSAN reports.
As Nigeria begins her chase for gold and glory today in Oregon, organisers of the 18th World Athletics Championships, World Athletics (WA), has confirmed that more than 1900 athletes from 192 teams will be in action at Eugene’s Hayward Field from July 15 to 24.
Out of the 43 individual winners from the 2019 edition in Doha, 37 will defend their titles in Oregon while 42 individual gold medallists from last year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo will also be in action.
American Allyson Felix with 18 medals including 13 gold, three silver and two bronze, is the most decorated athlete in World Championships history and she will have the opportunity of increasing her record tally after being named as part of the USA’s mixed 4x400m squad in Oregon.
Also, the Australian team features the oldest and youngest athletes of the entire championships as 49-year-old Kelly Ruddick who is entered for the 35km race walk will become the oldest ever athlete to compete in a women’s discipline at the World Championships while 17-year-old Claudia Hollingsworth will contest the 800m.
Still on the record lane, Francis Obikwelu and banned Blessing Okagbare remain the most decorated Nigerian athletes at the world championships as both athletes won two medals (silver and bronze medals) at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s first medal was won at the 1983 maiden edition of the world championships in Helsinki, Finland when Ajayi Agbebaku won a bronze medal in the men’s triple jump and four years later, Innocent Egbunike improved the medal to silver in the men’s 400m at Rome 1987.
From 1987, Nigeria was without any medal until 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden when the quartet of Udeme Ekpeyong, Kunle Adejuyigbe, Jude Monye and late Sunday Bada returned the country to the medal table in the men’s 4X400m relay.
At the next edition in Athens in 1997, the quartet of Osmond Ezinwa, Olapade Adeniken, Francis Obikwelu and Davidson Ezinwa settled for silver in the men’s 4X100m relay.
It was in 1999 in Seville, Spain that Nigeria won its first double medals at the World Championships when Gloria Alozie settled for silver in women’s 100m hurdles, while Obikwelu won his second world championships medal after finishing third in the men’s 200m to claim the bronze medal.
2013 Moscow saw the emergence of Blessing Okagbare who after claiming the country’s sole medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in China become the second Nigerian to win two medals at the World Championships while her bronze and silver in the 200m and long jump events made her the first Nigerian to win doubles medals in a world championships.
For five years, Nigeria was in a wilderness of medals that it took Ese Brume, her last jump in the women’s long jump event at 2019 Doha, to claim Nigeria’s sole medal again at the global athletics championships.
Despite the enormous talents in athletics, Nigeria is yet to fulfil its potential on big stages such as the World Championships and with the resurgence of Nigerian athletes across the globe this season, there is a ray of hope on the 22-man contingent heading to Oregon this year.
Even before the commencement of the tournament, the world athletics ruling body has tipped the duo of Tobi Amusan and Favour Ofili as possible medallists in the women’s 100m hurdles and 200m events.
“Favour Ofili of Nigeria, the only athlete in the field who has beaten Steiner — at the SEC Championships — is also the only other athlete in the field who has gone sub-20. She clocked 21.98 in April. The 19-year-old is the All-African Games silver medallist and African record-holder in the 200m,” the world body stated in its analysis.
The world athletics added: “The deep field in the women’s 100m hurdles includes Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion and 2021 Diamond Trophy winner. She finished fourth at the Tokyo Games and Doha World Championships but should challenge for a podium place in Eugene.
“The 25-year-old Amusan has been in superb form, winning a Diamond League race in Paris on 18 June in 12.41, the fourth-fastest time of the year. She finished a close second to Camacho-Quinn in Stockholm on 20 June, with the Puerto Rican winning in 12.46 to her 12.50.”
Apart from Amusan and Ofili, Ese Brume, a bronze medallist at the 2019 edition in Doha, will be hoping to improve the colour of her medal in Oregon amidst the array of stars competing in the women’s long jump.
A last-minute withdrawal of the French team secured a place for the women’s 4X100m relay team and hope is also hinged on Amusan, Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Grace Nwokocha and Joy Udo-Gabriel in the event.
Nigeria’s fastest man, Favour Ashe will lead the sprinters in the men’s 100m which include, Raymond Ekevwo and Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike, while Onwuzurike is Nigeria’s sole flagbearer in the 200m.
Ezekiel Nathaniel (400m hurdles), Chukwuebuka Enekwechi and Dotun Ogundeji (shot put) while the trio of Ashe, Ekevwo and Onwuzurike will lead the men’s 4X100m relay team which also includes Usheoritse Itsekiri, Godson Oghenebrume and Seye Ogunlewe completed the men’s squad to Oregon.
A member of the technical crew Kayode Yaya believed the team would give its best to medal in Oregon.
“We can go as far as the platform can take us too and whatever we have as a platform; that is how far we are good to go,” he enthused. “Our performance also depends on the platform that we have ; so whatever platform we have right now should be either what is going to produce a medal for us or not. “Well, you can be sure that we are going to give our best in Oregon to achieve the best we can achieve,” he added. .
Bambo Akani, founder and CEO of Making of Champions (MoC), is optimistic that Nigeria has the squad to win three medals in Oregon.
His confidence is hinged on the performance of most of the athletes this season: “I believe that Nigeria has a chance of winning up to three medals at the world championships which will be a record for the country because the maximum we have won at the single championship was two in 1999 and 2013 in Seville and Moscow.
“I’m going to split up my preview into three kinds of categories of athletes. First is going to be medal contenders, rising stars and other athletes to watch out for.
“In terms of the medal contenders, the two athletes that are really flying the Nigeria flag high right now are Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume undoubtedly.
“Amusan will be aiming for a medal after finishing fourth in the Olympics and at the last world championship in Doha. She desperately wants that individual medal at the highest level; she is in great form and is a record holder, lowering her own record with 12.41secs this season as the fourth fastest athlete in the world.
”She would want to be amongst the medallists but she will have a tough fight with Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and a couple of Americans including Kenny Harrison who has already run 12.3secs and Harrison being a record holder as well.
“Amusan will probably be looking and hoping to run 12.3secs at this world championship to be amongst the medallists.
“Similarly for Ese Brume, she has been a bronze medallist actually, at both the Olympics and the world championship in 2019 and she will be hoping to at least defend that or maybe swap that for a silver or gold with 6.92m this season, fourth farthest athlete in the world this year. So with fingers crossed, Amusan and Brume can bring home medals.
“On the third medal contender I believe is the men’s 4X100m because it is a new team comprising of the likes of the new 100m champion, Favour Ashe and the world junior 200m champion Udodi Onwuzurike and the likes of Godson Brume as well.
“They ran 38.8secs at the national trials to qualify. Fastest standard Nigeria has run possibly since, even the 2009 Olympics but to get to the finals and to be in the chance for medals, they really have to run sub 38secs and possibly break the Nigeria record which is around 37.9secs.
“This team can do it when they ran 35secs, the fastest guy, Ashe who would go on to become the champion at the national trials ran the first leg which was not very optimal.
“He is on the second of the final leg and the team trained well and put together a good baton exchange, they could be amongst the medallists as well.
“My heart says Nigeria can win three medals at this championship, my head says let us be satisfied at least if we can get a couple of those medals,” he added.
On the rising stars, Akani listed Favour Ofili in the women’s 200m and Favour Ashe in the men’s 100m, while Ruth Usoro and Grace Nwokocha as well as Onwuzurike would be among the athletes to watch out for in Oregon.
NIGERIA’S SQUAD TO OREGON 22
MEN
100m:Favour Ashe;Raymond Ekevwo;Udodi Onwuzurike
200m:Udodi Onwuzurike
400m Hurdles: Ezekiel Nathaniel
Shot Put:Chukwuebuka Enekwechi;Dotun Ogundeji
4 x 100m Relay:Favour Ashe;Raymond Ekevwo;Usheoritse Itsekiri;Godson Oghenebrume;Seye Ogunlewe;Udodi Onwuzurike
WOMEN
100m:Rosemary Chukwuma;Grace Nwokocha;Favour Ofili
200m:Rosemary Chukwuma;Grace Nwokocha;Favour Ofili
400m:Imaobong Nse Uko
100m Hurdles:Tobi Amusan
Long Jump:Ese Brume;Ruth Usoro
Triple Jump:Ruth Usoro
Discus:Chioma Onyekwere
Hammer:Oyesade Olatoye
4 x 100m Relay:Tobi Amusan;Rosemary Chukwuma;Grace Nwokocha;Favour Ofili;Joy Udo-Gabriel
4 x 400m Mixed Relay:Sikiru Adeyemi;Dubem Amene;Patience Okon-George;Samson Nathaniel;Patience Omovoh;Imaobong Nse Uko
: PAST RECORD
Year City Medal Event Name
1983 Helsinki Bronze Triple Jump Ajayi Agbebaku
1987 Rome Silver 400m Innocent Egbunike
1995 Gothenburg Bronze 4X400m U.Ekpeyong,K. Adejuyigbe, J.Monye & S.Bada
1997 Athens Silver 4X100m O.Ezinwa, O.Adeniken, F. Obikwelu & D.Ezinwa
1999 Seville Bronze 200m Francis Obikwelu
1999 Seville Silver 100m hurdles Gloria Alozie
2013 Moscow Bronze 200m Blessing Okagbare
2013 Moscow Silver Long jump Blessing Okagbare
2019 Doha Bronze Long Jump Ese Brume