Bakwunye Targets First Nigerian World U20 100m Hurdles Medal in 30 Years

Nigeria’s Chika Bakwunye will begin her quest for a historic medal in the women’s 100m hurdles on Friday at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon, aiming to end the country’s 30-year wait for a podium finish in the event.

The talented hurdler, who has a personal best and season’s best of 13.63 seconds, has been drawn in Heat Five and will compete from lane five against a formidable field that includes South Africa’s Tumi Ramokgopa (12.93), Switzerland’s Sereina Liem (13.31) and Jamaica’s Akeelah Bell (13.33).

The first three athletes in each of the seven heats, together with the next six fastest times overall, will qualify for the semi-finals.

Nigeria has not celebrated a medal in the women’s sprint hurdles at the World U20 Championships since Glory Alozie claimed silver at the 1996 World Junior Championships in Sydney before going on to become one of Africa’s finest sprint hurdlers.

Bakwunye now has the opportunity to end that three-decade drought and add her name to the country’s athletics history.

A strong performance in the opening round would move the Nigerian one step closer to restoring the nation’s presence on the global U20 hurdles podium and continuing Nigeria’s impressive tradition of producing world-class sprint hurdlers.