Seven Nigerian athletes have secured their spots in eight occasions on the forthcoming 2025 World Athletics Championships.
The 2025 World Athletics Championships is about to happen in Tokyo from September 13 to 21. It guarantees to be a exceptional showcase of athletic ability as these athletes goal to convey residence Nigeria’s first medal since Tobi Amusan’s historic gold in Oregon in 2022.
Nigeria’s elite athletes will be part of over 2,000 rivals from round 200 nations for this 12 months’s version of the event. This 12 months marks the twentieth model of the Championships and it’s the second time Tokyo is internet hosting it, the primary being in 1991.
The qualification course of, which started final 12 months, has already seen the worldwide athletic neighborhood welcome 1,062 certified athletes. For Nigeria, the trail to Tokyo has been outlined by exceptional performances, with many athletes reaching computerized qualification in varied occasions.
Under are the Nigerian athletes who’ve certified for the 2025 World Athletics Championships
1. Tobi Amusan:
World document holder Tobi Amusan is about to compete within the girls’s 100-metre hurdles, the place she goals to regain her title from reigning champion Danielle Williams.
Amusan made historical past by changing into the primary Nigerian athlete to win a gold medal on the World Athletics Championships through the 2022 occasion in Oregon.
Her latest qualification on August 7, 2024, through the Paris Olympics, when she clocked an excellent 12.49 seconds—effectively under the automated normal of 12.73 seconds—demonstrates her formidable expertise and positions her as a prime medal contender in 2025.
2. Favour Ofili
Favour Ofili has solidified her place within the girls’s 200 metres, reaching qualification on August 5, 2024, through the Paris Olympics with a formidable time of twenty-two.05 seconds, comfortably surpassing the 22.57 seconds normal.
As a Commonwealth Video games silver medallist, she has proven vital progress and willpower, particularly after going through challenges along with her early Olympic entry. Her constant performances make her a powerful competitor for medals in Tokyo.
3. Ezekiel Nathaniel
Ezekiel Nathaniel certified for the 400-metre hurdles alongside Ofili, reaching a time of 48.38 seconds, which exceeded the qualification normal of 48.50 seconds.
His robust performances have positioned him as a noteworthy athlete to look at, highlighting Nigeria’s energy on this occasion.
4. Samuel Ogazi
Within the males’s 400 metres, Samuel Ogazi earned his qualification on the Paris Olympics with a formidable 44.41 seconds, effectively forward of the 44.85 seconds normal.
Ogazi’s excellent efficiency reinforces his status as one in every of Nigeria’s main sprinters and is essential to the nation’s ambitions on this self-discipline.
5. Ella Onojuvwevwo
Ella Onojuvwevwo certified for the ladies’s 400 metres a day after Ogazi, ending with a notable time of fifty.59 seconds, simply forward of the 50.75 seconds entry normal.
Her continued consistency strengthens Nigeria’s illustration within the 400 metres, promising a compelling efficiency in Tokyo.
6. Tima Godbless
Twenty-year-old Tima Godbless made a vital entry into the 200 metres by qualifying on the Tom Jones Memorial on April 18, clocking a time of twenty-two.55 seconds, barely above the automated qualifying normal of twenty-two.57 seconds.
This achievement marks her emergence as a major competitor for Nigeria, and she or he is about to make an affect because the Championships method.
7. Kayinsola Ajayi
Kayinsola Ajayi secured her qualification for the ladies’s 100 metres only a day after Godbless, recording a formidable time of 9.96 seconds. This qualification additional highlights the depth of expertise inside Nigeria’s sprinting squad.
