Ajayi, Enekwechi To Open Nigeria’s Beijing 2027 Medal Hunt As World Athletics Unveils Timetable

Kanyinsola Ajayi, Israel Okon and shot put star Chukwuebuka Enekwechi are among the athletes expected to spearhead Nigeria’s quest for medals when the 21st World Athletics Championships begin in Beijing, China, on September 10, 2027.

Barring injuries or a loss of form, two or three of Ajayi, Okon, Favour Ashe and Adekalu Fakorede could lead Nigeria’s sprint challenge, while Enekwechi and the mixed 4x400m relay team are also expected to feature prominently on the opening day.

This follows the unveiling of the competition timetable by World Athletics on Thursday, which places the men’s 100m preliminary round, mixed 4x400m relay and men’s shot put among the opening day’s events.

The men’s triple jump will also open on September 10, while the women’s 800m and 5,000m heats and men’s 100m heats will provide other highlights.

Enekwechi will be targeting a third consecutive appearance in the men’s shot put final and an improvement on the fifth-place finish he recorded at the 2025 edition in Tokyo, Japan.

The Nigerian record holder could also deliver the country’s first individual medal of the 2027 championships on September 11, when the shot put final is scheduled to take place, ahead of the men’s 100m final later that evening.

Ajayi, meanwhile, will be seeking back-to-back appearances in the men’s 100m final after becoming the first Nigerian since 2007 to reach the championship final in 2025, achieving the feat on his debut.

The women’s 100m heats will begin on the second day, while Samuel Ogazi is expected to spearhead Nigeria’s bid for another men’s 400m medal, 40 years after Innocent Egbunike won silver at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, Italy.

Tobi Amusan will begin her quest to make another piece of Nigerian athletics history on the third day of competition.

The former world record holder won Nigeria’s first and only gold medal in the history of the championships in 2022 and added a second individual medal in 2025, becoming only the third Nigerian athlete to achieve the feat.

In 2027, Amusan will be seeking to become the first Nigerian to win three individual medals at the World Athletics Championships.

Nigeria will, however, return to Beijing with memories of a disappointing outing at the 2015 edition, when the country failed to win a medal.

Only two Nigerian athletes reached individual event finals at those championships. Blessing Okagbare finished eighth in the women’s 100m final in 11.02 seconds, while Doreen Amata placed 12th in the women’s high jump final.

Twelve years later, Nigeria will be hoping for a significantly better showing, with a new generation of sprint stars, an established shot put contender and the emergence of Ogazi among the athletes expected to lead the country’s medal challenge.

Amusan’s pursuit of an unprecedented third individual medal will also provide one of the major talking points of Nigeria’s campaign in Beijing.