Nigerian sprinter Udodi Onwuzurike has qualified for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest after an impressive performance at the Mt. SAC Relays over the weekend.

Onwuzurike, a student at Stanford University, won the men’s 200m race, clocking a Season’s Best (SB) time of 20.14s (1.8) ahead of Matthew Boling who finished 2nd in 20.27s and David Dunlap in 20.38s.

The 20-year-old is the first Nigerian male sprinter to qualify for the World Championships in the 200m event. The qualifying standard for the men’s 200m is 20.16s.

Onwuzurike’s impressive time at the Mt. SAC Relays is the second-fastest in the world this year, behind only the 20.02s clocked by American sprinter Noah Lyles at the Texas Relays in March.

With his qualification secured, Onwuzurike will now turn his focus to preparing for the World Championships and making his mark on the international stage.

He had won gold medal in the men’s 200m at the 2021 World U-20 Athletics Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.