The chief executive officer of the Elite Athletes Development and Performance Board, Yussuf Amuda Alli, has explained why Team Nigeria will be attending the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships with a lean team.
The official Team Nigeria list, which was made public yesterday, comprises seven female and eight male athletes who will compete in 11 events: 100m (men), 100m (women), 100m hurdles (women), 200m (men), 400m (men), 400m hurdles (men), long jump (men), long jump (women), shot put (men), discus (women), and hammer (women).
“The era of jamboree and attending major games and championships with a large team that won’t benefit Team Nigeria in the long or short run is over. That is one of the issues the Performance Board has been tasked with addressing by the NSC,” Alli stated.
Expanding on his comments regarding long- and short-term benefits, Alli explained that athletes who will contribute to Team Nigeria in the short term are those who, based on their rankings and performances this season, have the potential to reach the finals of their events.
In the finals of athletics events, Alli noted, anything can happen. Those who will benefit Team Nigeria in the long term, he added, are young athletes with immense potential who require exposure to high-level competitions in front of large crowds.
Apart from tough competitors, stage fright also impacts athletes’ performances. Sharing a personal example, Alli revealed that Isaac Akioye took him to the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, fully aware that it would take a miracle for him to win a medal but believing that the experience would change his career.
“The experience I gained in Moscow defined my career. Apart from my fellow jumpers, the crowd also acted as competitors and after Moscow, I mastered the art of competing in front of large crowds. Three years later, I became a world champion in Canada, so we are investing in athletes who have what it takes to reach the finals of their events and in young athletes who are future medalists.”
The World Athletics Championships will take place in Tokyo, Japan, from September 13 to 21.
Heading Team Nigeria’s list to Tokyo is the world record holder in the 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, who has been in impressive form this season. Shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who has a strong chance of making the final and contending for a medal, is number two on the list. He is followed by 400m hurdles sensation Ezekiel Nathaniel, as well as veteran jumper Ese Brume, the African record holder in the long jump with a personal best of 7.17m. If Brume can rediscover her form in Tokyo — a city that has been a successful venue for her — she will almost certainly make the podium.
Also listed by Alli are: Samuel Ogazi (400m), Kayinsola Ajayi (100m), Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons (discus), Prestina Ochonogor (long jump), Obiageri Amaechi (discus), Charles Godfred (long jump), Rosemary Chukwuma (100m), Oyesade Olatoye (hammer), Israel S. Okon (100m), and Chidi Okezie (400m).
