The 2025 World Athletics Championships get underway on Saturday at the Tokyo National Stadium, with Nigeria parading a lean squad of 15 athletes, Bold Sports reports.
At stake is not only global prestige but also a $70,000 (N105,140,000) prize for every individual gold medalist. Silver medallists are also guaranteed $35,000 (N52,570,000) while bronze medallists will win $22,000 (N33,044,000).
Nigeria’s contingent is headlined by world record holder Tobi Amusan and Olympic silver medalist Ese Brume, who carry the nation’s brightest medal hopes. Amusan, the world champion from Oregon 2022, where she broke the world record in the semi-final, returns to the women’s 100m hurdles in search of another global podium after placing a disappointing sixth in Budapest in 2023. Brume, meanwhile, remains one of the most consistent long jumpers on the circuit, chasing her third global medal after bronze in Doha 2019 and silver in Oregon 2022. She was posed to win bronze again in Budapest 2023, but was displaced to fourth with Romania’s Alina Rotaru-Kottmann’s last jump of 6.88m, beating Brume’s best of 6.84m.
Beyond the duo, the Tokyo championships present an opportunity for Nigeria’s emerging generation. In the men’s 100m, Kanyinsola Ajayi and Israel Sunday Okon will fly the flag, while Udodi Onwuzurike lines up in the 200m, hoping the set the global stage in fire again after emerging World Junior Champion in 2021. The men’s 400m features teenage sensation Samuel Ogazi, who stormed into the Olympic final last year, and Chidi Okezie, both carrying Nigeria’s hopes in the one-lap race. In the hurdles, Ezekiel Nathaniel will contest the men’s 400m hurdles after winning the NCAA title and breaking the national record five times this year.
More Read
In the women’s sprints, Nigeria’s options have thinned. With Favour Ofili now confirming that she’s switched allegiance to Turkey, and several US-based collegians unavailable, only Rosemary Chukwuma will contest the women’s 100m with nobody in the women’s 200m. She arrives in Tokyo against a brutally stacked field.
Nigeria’s throwers are also in the mix. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi returns for another crack at the men’s shot put, having placed eighth in Doha 2019 and 11th in Oregon 2022, just failing to qualify for final in Budapest. In the women’s discus, both Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons and Obiageri Amaechi will compete, while Oyesade Olatoye takes up the hammer throw. In the women’s long jump, Brume is joined by Prestina Ochonogor, and Charles Godfred represents Nigeria in the men’s long jump.
The absence of Nigeria’s relay teams is one of the most glaring gaps in Tokyo. Despite once being a powerhouse in the 4x100m and 4x400m, winning medals in the 1990s and early 2000s, Nigeria failed to qualify for any relay event this year. A mix of poor coordination, failure to meet qualifying standards, and administrative lapses meant none of the quartets will line up in Tokyo, a major blow to the country’s medal chances.
Historically, Nigeria has won 11 medals at the World Championships. Ajayi Agbebaku became Nigeria’s first medallist at the World Championships, winning bronze in the men’s long jump at the inaugural edition in Helsinki in 1983. Innocent Egbunike added silver in the men’s 400m in Rome 1987, while the quartet of Udeme Ekpeyong, Kunle Adejuyigbe, Jude Monye and Sunday Bada won the 4x400m relay bronze in Gothenburg 1995. Just like the men’s 4x400m in 1995, the quartet of Olopade Adeniken, Osmond and Davidson Ezenwa and Francis Obikwelu also won silver in the men’s 4x100m relay in Athens 1997, while Obikwelu won bronze in the men’s 200m in Seville 1999. That same year, Gloria Alozie also won the women’s 100m hurdles silver.
Nigeria then went on a 14-year medal drought before Blessing Okagbare won two in Moscow 2013 leaping to long jump silver and 200m bronze – becoming the first Nigerian to win two medals at a single World Championships. Ese Brume won bronze in the women’s long jump in Doha 2019, upgrading it to silver in Oregon 2022. Amusan’s triumph in Oregon 2022 remains Nigeria’s only gold medal at this level.
As competition begins today, Nigerian athletes will be hoping for another breakthrough to add to that solitary world title, or at best win medals.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
