The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) will, today, decide the number of athletes and coaches that will fly the nation’s flag at the 20th World Indoor Championships in China.
The championships will begin on March 21, the same day the Super Eagles will confront the Amavubi of Rwanda in Kigali for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The Guardian learnt yesterday that nine athletes have been penciled down for the trip to China.
“The board will hold a meeting tomorrow (today) to decide the actual number of athletes for the trip,” an official of the AFN told The Guardian in a telephone chat yesterday.
An official of the Elite Athletes and Podium board of the National Sports Commission (NSC) revealed last week that only six athletes would make the trip to the World Indoors in China.
The New NCAA high jump indoor champion, Temitope Adeshina, is reported to top AFN’s list of nine athletes for the World Indoor Championships.
Adeshina made history on Saturday in Virginia, USA, where he became the first Nigerian woman to claim the high jump gold at the NCAA Division 1 indoor track and field championships.
The 26-year-old will be looking forward to becoming the first Nigerian high jumper to make it to the podium in the history of the global event.
Also expected to be listed is another field eventer, rising star, Prestina Ochonogor, who will be competing in the long jump event.
The 18-year-old, who made it to the final of the Paris 2024 Olympics and the World U-20 Championships last year, will be hoping for another appearance in the final of another global event.
She was unable to ruffle any feathers at the NCAA indoor championships in Virginia on Friday but Prestina has proved to be a big occasion player.
For the men, Ezekiel Nathaniel will lead the charge. The reigning African record holder in the world is also the second fastest in the 400m event so far this year. The 21-year-old will fancy his chances of becoming the second Nigerian man after Sunday Bada (now late) to win the full lap gold at the event.
He will also lead the Nigerian 4x400m relay team to a historic medal in the event.
Also in the running for the event are Caleb Joshua, who failed to fulfill expectations in the 60m event at the NCAA Division 11 indoor championships on Saturday, Chidi Okezie, the reigning African Games 400m champion, Ifeanyi Ojeli, Edidiong Okon Udo, James Onwuka and multiple African Shot Put champion, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi.
The athletes have been tasked to return Nigeria to the podium in the event three years after Ese Brume won a long jump silver.
Nigeria last mounted the podium as World champion in 2008 when Olusoji Fasuba made history as the first and so far only African man to win the 60m gold.
