2024 Nigeria Track And Field Championships: Ashe looking to regain 100m title, Ogazi seeks first win Vs Okezie

Favour Ashe will be seeking to regain the Nigeria 100m title he lost last year when the final of the blue ribband event holds Sunday at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin city, the Edo state capital.

Ashe ran 10.13 to finish fourth last year but the 22 year old will file out Sunday as not only the fastest Nigerian over the distance so far this year but also the favourite.

The Auburn University student-athlete holds a lifetime best of 9.94 which he achieved towards the end of last month and which is the fastest a Nigerian has ran this year.

Ashe made history two years ago when he became the second Nigerian after Deji Aliu (9.98), and the first since 2003, to run a sub-10 seconds (9.99) to win the Nigeria Championships 100m title. He will be aiming for another run inside 10 seconds to become the first man to win two 100m titles with a sub-10 seconds run.

It will however not be a walk in the park for the sprinter as he has Godson Oghenebrume, Ajayi Kanyinsola, defending champion, Ushoritse Itshekiri and Alaba Akintola to battle for the title.

Oghenebrume has broken 10 seconds this year (9.99) while Kanyisola who rose from a 10.27 performer last year is now the third fastest Nigerian so far this year with his 10.01 run to place third at the NCAA outdoor championship early this month.

Also lurking to pounce like he did last year will be Itshekiri while Alaba Akintola seems to have come to form at the right time after running 10.08 just eight days ago.

Ashe will however be banking on his head to head record against Ogehenebrume (6-5), Ajayi (4-1) and Akintola (6-4). He will however be wary of Itshekiri who holds a 5-1 head to head wins over him as well as Udodi Onwuzurike who he has a 1-1 head to head record with.

In the 400m, Samuel Ogazi will be aiming for not just his first Nigeria 400m title but also his first win over reigning African Games champion, Chidi Okezie.

Ogazi holds teh fastest time by a Nigerian over the distance since 1987 and will feel confident to tie his head to head record with Okezie who only last week became the 10th Nigerian to run a sub-45 seconds in the event.

The 18 year old was second to Okezie at the Nigeria Championships last year but will feel the young has grown enough to challenge the 30 year old for the title.

Nathaniel Ezekiel will be literally unchallenged in the 400m hurdles while Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will stroll to his fourth straight win in the Shot Put.