Onwuzurike Returns as De Grasse Headlines 200m in Zagreb

The men’s 200 metres at the 76th Boris Hanzelovic Memorial in Zagreb on Friday promises fireworks, with former World U20 champion Udodi Onwuzurike making his long-awaited return to track action.

The 23-year-old Nigerian sprinter has not competed since failing to finish the 100m at the Pure Athletics Sprint Elite meet in Clermont, Florida on May 25.

He also missed the Nigerian Track and Field Championships in Lagos but comes into this race with a season’s best of 20.24 seconds in the 200m.

Onwuzurike has been named in Nigeria’s 29-man preparatory camp for the Commonwealth Games, adding further intrigue to his comeback.

He faces a stacked field led by Andre De Grasse, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, who boasts a personal best of 19.62 seconds.

Other challengers include Botswana’s Oratile Justice, Morocco’s Hssine Yassine, France’s Pablo Mateo, Italy’s Eseosa Desalu, and Ireland’s Benjamin Richardson.