Nigeria is gearing up for a formidable challenge at the 20th World Athletics Championships, which commence on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. The country’s quest for medal success will be spearheaded by discus thrower Obiageri Pamela Amaechi, who previously secured a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.
After returning without a medal from the last Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in 2023, Nigeria is determined to reclaim its position on the podium. The team, led by former World 100m hurdles champion Tobi Amusan and talented 400m hurdler Nathaniel Ezekiel, aims to secure at least one medal this year.
Amaechi, 26, will launch Nigeria’s campaign as she competes in the qualifying rounds of the discus throw.
She is drawn in the first of two qualifying groups and is expected to face reigning Commonwealth Games champion Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons. Amaechi’s recent achievement of a personal best throw of 64.80m at ‘Throw Town’ in Ramona, Oklahoma, has set her hopes high for making history as the first Nigerian woman to qualify for the World Championships final.
In addition, Ezekiel, who recently matched his African record of 22.10m at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meet, is aiming not just for a final place but to better his eighth-place finish from 2019.
Completing the roster of field event competitors on the opening day are Ese Brume and Prestina Ochonogor. Ochonogor, the reigning African U20 champion and Paris Olympic finalist, will seek to follow in the footsteps of Blessing Okagbare and Brume to become Nigeria’s third long jumper to reach the podium. To secure a finals spot, Ochonogor will need to surpass her season’s best of 6.67m, aiming for her personal best of 6.79m to stand a chance in a competitive field.
Brume, competing in her fourth consecutive World Championships, will fight for a finals spot in the second qualifying group. She has consistently finished in the top ranks since 2017, with her sights set on replicating her 6.79m personal best.
On the track, three Nigerian athletes will make their debut on the first day. While the men’s 100m heats start list is yet to be confirmed, Rosemary Chukwuma has secured her place in lane 7 of the second heat. The 23-year-old faces stiff competition from athletes including Polish sprinter Ewa Swoboda and veteran British star Dina Asher-Smith, as she aims for a second consecutive semifinal appearance.
Key medal contenders Tobi Amusan and Ezekiel Nathaniel will enter the fray on subsequent days, with Amusan competing on Day 2 and Nathaniel on Day 3 of the nine-day event. Nigeria’s campaign will reach its conclusion on Day 7, coinciding with the finals of the men’s 400m hurdles and 200m events.
As the excitement builds in Tokyo, all eyes will be on Nigeria’s athletes as they strive to bring home much-needed medals and restore national pride in the world of athletics.
