Elo Joseph overtakes Onojuvwevwo, Kanyinsola Ajayi moves from 45th to 32nd in world rankings

Quarter miler Esther Elo Joseph has not only moved from a 53.38 runner in 2023 to an incredible 51.61 runner in one year, the 21 year old has also risen to become the number one ranked Nigerian 400m runner.

The reigning African Games silver medalist and African Athletics Championships bronze medal winner has overtaken Ella Onojuvwevwo as Nigeria’s best ranked quarter miler following her impressive feat in Douala, Cameroon at the 23rd African Athletics Championships.

She has now moved from 82nd best in the world just under 10 days ago to 42nd with a 1224 ranking score while Onojuvwevwo has dropped from 72nd to 79th with her 1186 ranking score.

The incredible Elo Joseph who ran inside 52 seconds six times this season is the third best ranked 400m runner in Africa behind African Games champion, Mary Moraa of Kenya and South Africa’s Miranda Charlene Coetzee who won the African Championships title in Douala last month.

In the men’s 400m, Samuel Ogazi dropped from 35th in the world to 38th while Chidi Okezie moved a step down from 41st to 42nd.

Nigeria’s speed king, Kanyinsola Ajayi’s stocks have kept rising after the 19 year old moved 15 places up from 45th to 32nd to still retain his status as the second best ranked Nigerian behind Ushoritse Itshekiri (30th) in the 100m event.

Favour Ashe is further down in 64th and Seye Ogunlewe is 6th and fourth best ranked Nigerian in the blue ribband event ahead of Godson Oghenebrume who is ranked fifth best in Nigeria and 74th in the world.

Alaba Akintola (94th) completes the list of six Nigerian sprinters in the top 100 world ranking list.