Commonwealth Games, World Championship trials to showcase Nigeria’s rising profile

Chairman of the organising committee for the 2022 Nigerian Athletics Championship, Solomon Ogba, says the event will be staged to match the rising profile of track and field in Nigeria.

A number of Nigerian athletes have attained world-class status between last year and now and Ogba is confident the glory days are back for the sport.

“We want to organise a championship befitting our rising profile. I cannot remember the last time we produced three women who have gone inside 11 seconds in the 100m in one year or produce athletes that will break records as old as the athletes themselves,” said Ogba, a two-time president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN.

Favour Ofili (10.93), Rosemary Chukwuma (10.99), and Grace Nwokocha (10.97) have all ran sub-11 seconds this year, while in the men’s version, as many as five, Udodi Onwuzurike (10.03), Raymond Ekevwo (10.04), Favour Ashe (10.04), Alaba Akintola (10.04) and Ushoritse Itshekiri (10.09) have gone under 10.10 seconds.

“Last year we had four national records broken in the sprint and jumps. Ofili (22.75s) broke Regina George’s eight-year-old 200m indoor record (23.00s), Tobi Amusan ran 12.44s to break an African record Glory Alozie set in 1998, while Ese Brume also broke Chioma Ajunwa’s 7.12m African record (in the long jump), a record as old as Brume (25 years).

“Ruth Usoro also jumped 14.50m in the USA to break Chinonye Ohadugba’s 14.21m national record set in 2007. This year we have had more long standing records broken. Ezekiel Nathaniel (48.42s) broke Henry Amike’s 35-year-old 400m hurdles record (48.50s) while Prosper Nnamdi’s 81.08m effort last month was one centimetre better than the 81.07m (men’s javelin) national record set by Pius Bazighe in 1999,” said an excited Ogba.

“Ofili also improved her 200m indoor to 22.46s and added the outdoor version. She ran 21.96s to become the first Nigerian woman to go under 22 seconds.”

Ogba says the AFN president Tonobok Okowa has charged him and members of the committee to organise a championship that takes into account the country’s rising status in international athletics.

“Everything is set for the championship. The best of Nigerian track and field stars will be here. Remember this will serve as selection trials for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the World Athletics Championship in Oregon, USA,” said Ogba.

The championship will hold from June 21 to June 23 in Benin City, capital of Edo state and Ogba says the choice is strategic.

He said: “We have a good, world-class track at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and the edifice hosted the athletics event of the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival held last year.”