World Championship: Nigeria’s Enekwechi Loses Shot-put Gold To USA’s Crouser

Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi fails to win a medal in the men’s shot put final at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA, on Monday’s morning.

The Nigerian athlete finished 11th after throwing 20.65m on his third attempt.

The African champion fouled in his second attempt after throwing 20.15m in his first attempt.

Oregon native Ryan Crouser won the gold medal with the winning throw of 75.26 feet, setting a championships record.

Team USA swept the podium in the event. Crouser’s teammate and defending champion Joe Kovacs earned silver by just inches with a 75.1-foot throw. Josh Awotunde earned bronze with a personal best of 73.13 feet.

This was Crouser’s first world championship title. It comes just over a year after he broke the shot put world record during the Olympic trials in Eugene in June 2021 with a throw of 76.69 feet.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist is among dozens of Oregon elite athletes participating in the championships, which runs July 15-24. Crouser, along with  Allyson Felix, were named as captains for the U.S. Track and Field team at the first world championships on American soil.

Meanwhile, Team Nigeria’s hope for medals now shifts to the women, particularly long jumper, Ese Brume and hurdler, Tobi Amusan.

Team Nigeria officials are also hoping for the women’s 4x100m relay team to grab a medal.

On Day One of the championship on Friday, Nigeria’s mixed relay team, made up of Patience Okon-George, Imaobong Nse Uko, Dubem Amene and Samson Nathaniel, made history by placing sixth in its second outing at a major competition, despite being rated 15th out of 16 participating countries in Oregon 2022.

Then, attention shifted to men’s 100m, where the efforts of Favour Ashe and Remond Ekevwo could not get to the medals zone. Nigeria’s Ashe placed fifth in the semifinal on Saturday morning.  The 4x100m relay for both men and women will begin on July 22, while the duo of Brume and Amusan will start their individual events on July 23.

Brume, bronze medalist at the last edition of the World Championships in Doha, Qatar three years ago, will be aiming to become the first Nigerian athlete to win medals at two editions of the event. On her part, Amusan, who was fourth three years ago in Doha, will be seeking to become the second Nigerian sprint hurdler to win a medal at the Championships after Glory Alozie, who won a silver medal in Seville, Spain in 1999.