17 Niger Delta Games Athletes Hit World U-20 Qualifying Standards
Osama, Peter Lead Nigeria’s Rising Stars to U-20 Standards
Seventeen athletes from the 2nd Niger Delta Games have achieved qualifying marks for the World Athletics U-20 Championships scheduled to take place in the United States later this year.
The interim technical report, submitted to World Athletics, the National Sports Commission (NSC), and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), confirmed the performances across track and field events.
Technical Director of the Games, Sydney Olympics gold medalist Enefiok Udo-Obong, disclosed that the qualifiers include four boys and thirteen girls.
Among the standout performances were Delta State sprinters Chibueze Osama and Godswill Sunday, who clocked 10.42 and 10.44 seconds respectively to surpass the 100m qualifying time of 10.50 seconds.
Bright Gift of Akwa Ibom matched the 200m standard with 21.25 seconds, while Edo’s Oseiwe Salami Ahusimenre cleared the 400m hurdles mark with 51.75 seconds.
On the women’s side, Delta’s Ejiro Peter led the 100m qualifiers with 11.58 seconds, joined by Tejiri Ugoh Praise, Azeez Zainab, and Victory Imoisemen Azobudi.
Peter also excelled in the 200m alongside Praise and Faith Chukwuma, all running faster than the 24.35 seconds benchmark.
In the 400m, six athletes from Delta, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, and Bayelsa dipped under the 55.20 seconds standard, while Delta’s Mary Innocent qualified in the 400m hurdles. Favour Olise capped the list with a 6.33m leap in the long jump, surpassing the 6.22m requirement.
Udo-Obong emphasized that the Niger Delta Games now serve as an official qualifying platform recognized by World Athletics.
Meanwhile, one of World Athletics Entry Rules for the World U20 Championships says only athletes aged 16, 17, 18, and 19 on 1 December 2026 (born in 2010, 2009, 2008 or 2007) may compete.
