Athletics: Only five Nigerians in top 100 ranking in Africa

Only five Nigerian athletes will finish in the top 100 ranking in Africa in 2024 following the latest update of the World rankings by World Athletics.

Two of the athletes, Shot Putter, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi and quartermiler, Samuel Ogazi made the men’s overall top 100 ranking while the trio of sprinter Favour Ofili, sprint hurdler, Tobi Amusan and long jumper Ese Brume made the women’s overall ranking.

This will be an improvement on the 2023 rankings when only four Nigerians, two for men (Enekwechi and Udodi Onwuzurike) and two for women (Amusan and Brume) finished in the top 100 in the continent.

For the men, Enekwechi, with a ranking score of 1374 will sertainly end 2024 as the top ranked African in the Shot Put and finish in the top 40 at the end of the year.

The 31-year-old is currently ranked 28th in Africa’s overall men’s ranking and 103 in the world.

Ogazi, who has been the revelation of the year with his incredible performances in the 400m, running inside 45 seconds six times this year including the 44.41 lifetime best he ran at the Olympics, is ranked the 60th best in Africa so far this year and will surely end 2024 in the top 100.

The 18-year-old is ranked fourth in Africa in the 400m event.

For the women, Amusan may have had a disappointing Olympics going by the very high standard she has set in her event, but the 27-year-old is still the best ranked in the 100m hurdles in Africa and 39th in the world.

Ofili, who made it all the way to the 200m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics is ranked the 42nd best woman in Africa while Brume, the African Games and African Championship gold medalist who also holds the African record (7.17m) is the third Nigerian in the women’s overall ranking.

Brume, who made it to her third Olympics final in her event and was a bronze medalist three years ago in Tokyo, Japan is Africa’s number one in her event and the 59th best in Africa.