Itshekiri, Olatoye, Amaechi chase Tokyo 2025 World Championships tickets at Harry Jerome Classic in Canada
Three Nigerian athletes—sprinter Ushoritse Itshekiri and throwers Oyesade Olatoye and Obiageri Pamela Amaechi—will be aiming for new personal bests as they compete at the 2025 Harry Jerome Track Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze-level meet.
The event takes place at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Itshekiri, who holds a lifetime best of 10.02 seconds, needs to run 10.00 seconds flat to secure automatic qualification for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, scheduled for September 13–21, 2025.
He has clocked 10.07 seconds this season and hopes to break the barrier in Burnaby. His last appearance at the World Championships saw him reach the semifinals—an improvement from his first-round exit in Doha 2019.
In the women’s discus throw, Amaechi is targeting the 64.50m qualification standard. She is currently ranked 29th in the world, with only 36 athletes eligible to compete in Tokyo.
A strong performance in Burnaby could boost her ranking and secure her first-ever World Championships appearance. She trails fellow Nigerian Chioma Onyekwere, who is ranked 22nd globally.
Meanwhile, Oyesade Olatoye, Nigeria’s hammer throw queen, has thrown 70.27m this season and is eyeing a new personal best of 74.00m which incidentally is the automatic qualification mark.
She is also ranked 29th in the world, and like Amaechi, sits within the qualifying range for Tokyo. A consistent showing will likely earn her a fourth consecutive World Championships berth, having debuted in Doha 2019.
