Chukwuma Seeks Redemption After 100m Heartbreak, Targets 200m Gold to End Nigeria’s 14-Year Wait

Rosemary Chukwuma has set her sights on the 200m gold medal at the African Championships in Accra, determined to atone for her narrow defeat in the 100m final.

The Nigerian sprinter, who was tipped to end her country’s 12-year wait for a women’s 100m title, lost out on the line to Cameroon’s Herverge Kole Etame.

Now, she is desperate to ensure Nigeria does not endure another 14-year drought in the half-lap event.

The last Nigerian woman to win the African Championships 200m title was Gloria Asumnu in 2012, clocking 22.93 seconds to succeed Damola Osayomi, who had triumphed two years earlier in Nairobi.

Chukwuma, 24, enters Accra as the African leader in the event, having run 22.42 seconds last month in Louisiana.

Explaining her decision to switch focus from the 100m to the 200m, Chukwuma was emphatic: ‘I am going for the GOLD medal,’ she told journalists.

Chukwuma is seeking her first senior continental crown, having previously won the Nigerian national championships 100m title in 2021 following Blessing Okagbare’s suspension.

She has already enjoyed success at youth level, claiming double sprint gold at the African U20 Championships and the African Youth Games.