All eyes on Amusan at adidas Atlanta City Games as Brume aims to leap into Paris
Ofili and Onwuzurike also set to be in action
All eyes will be on Tobi Amusan the world 100m hurdles record holder and reigning world leader in the event at the Adidas Atlanta City Games on Saturday.
The Nigerian sped to a 12.40 world lead at the Jamaican Invitational last week in Kingston, Jamaica and the 27 year old will be expected to further post another catch me if you can time as she prepares to make history at the Paris Olympics as the first Nigerian world and Olympic champion.
Amusan made history two years ago in Oregon, USA when she scorched to a wind-aided 12.06 seconds to become the first and so far only Nigerian track and field athlete to win a world outdoor title.
She had earlier in the semifinal stormed to a 12.12 world record to become the first Nigerian to set a world record.
The African, African Games, Commonwealth Games and Diamond League champion will be pushed by Kendra Hariss, the American woman she broke her 12.20 world record.
Harrison is the second fastest woman ever over the high hurdles and she will want to pose a threat to Amusan’s bid as well as win her first major title.
The adidas Atlanta City Games thus offers her the opportunity to lay down a marker.
The stage in Atlanta is not set for the head to head confrontation between Amusan and Harrison alone or limited to just the 100m hurdles as Nigeria’s currently active most decorated athlete, Ese Brume will also be in action almost two months after she won the African Games long jump title in Accra, Ghana.
Brume’s only focus will be to leap beyond the 6.68m Olympic qualifying standard as she bids to become the first Nigerian track and field athlete to win two individual medals at the Olympics.
Also billed to compete but in the rarely run 150m is the new Nigeria queen of the track, Favour Ofili.
The pretty, 21 year old holds the Nigerian record in the 200m indoors and out and remains the second fastest African ever over the 300m (35.99) behind Namibia’s Beatrice Masilingi (34.60).
In the men’s 100m event, former World U20 champion, Udodi Onwuzurike will go head to head against two of his African brothers, Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya and Akani Simbine of South Africa.
