Amusan, Nwokocha, Ashe Headline Top 10 Performers At 2022 Nigerian Athletics Championships

Tobi Amusan:
Reigning African Games and African Athletics Championships sprint hurdles champion, Amusan not only successfully defended her Nigerian 100m hurdles crown, she also added the competition’s championships record. Her 12.54 seconds run obliterated the 12.63 seconds Championships record set by Angela Atede in June 1997 in Lagos. Amusan was denied the opportunity to break the Championships record in 2021 first by a tail wind in the semis when she ran 12.54 seconds in the semis and a faulty electronic timer in the final held at the Sports Ground of Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos.
The 25 year old now owns the African and Nigerian record in the event at 12.41 seconds and the Nigerian championships in addition to the African Games record

Grace Nwokocha:
Tokyo Olympics 100/200m semifinalist Nwokocha ran 11.03 seconds to win her first blue ribband title at the Nigerian Championships. She is the second fastest time in the history of the championships behind Blessing Okagbare who owns the competition record (10.99s).
Her 11.03 seconds run is also the second fastest winning time in the history of the Championships behind Okagbare (11.02 in 2016).

Favour Ashe:
Ashe proved his impressive performances at the 2022 NCAA indoor and outdoor championships were not by happenstances as he scorched to a huge 9.99 seconds personal best to storm to his first Nigerian 100m title at the Championships. His time is not only a personal best but also the fastest in the history of the championships in 19 years, precisely since 2003 when Deji Aliu ran 9.98 seconds to win the blue ribband title enroute to his African Games win also at the same venue, the Abuja National stadium, now Moshood Abiola Stadium.

Chukwuebuka Enekwechi:
Fresh from the successful defence of his African Athletics Championships Shot Put title with a 21.20m championships record setting mark in Mauritius, Enekwechi also successfully defended his Nigerian Shot Put title, setting a new 21.25m personal season’s best to win. The 21.25m mark is the second best winning mark after the 21.47m effort by the same Enekwechi to win his first Nigerian Shot Put title in 2021 in Lagos. The 29 year old is the first and so far only Nigerian to hit the 21m mark in the history of the championships.

Ese Brume:
Olympics, World and Commonwealth Games medalist Brume’s huge 6.89m leap on Sunday at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin landed her a fifth Nigerian championships title in the long jump. Her mark is the second best winning mark in the history of the championships after Blessing Okagbare leapt a massive 6.97m in 2012 in Calabar, Cross River state to set the championships’ all-time best mark.

Ruth Usoro:
2021 NCAA indoor and outdoor championships triple jump champion and Nigeria’s record holder at 14.50m Usoro hit the 14m mark for the first time this year when she hopped, stepped and jumped 14.11m to win the Nigerian title in the women’s triple jump. It was the 25 year old ‘s first Nigerian title in any event after placing third in the same event in Abuja in July 2015. Her 14.11m winning mark in the event is the second best winning mark in the history of the championships after Blessing Okagbare jumped 14.13m May 2007 in Lagos.

Prosper Nnamdi:
New Nigeria record holder in the Javelin throw, Nnamdi’s 78.07m winning throw that gave him his first Nigerian Athletics Championships title may have been below par according to the standard set by the 19 year old but it is the longest winning mark in the history of the championships since Pius Bazighe threw 78.42m to emerge Nigerian champion in June 1995 in Lagos.
Only last month, the World U20 Athletics Championships bronze medalist threw 81.22m to break Bazighe’s 81.08m Nigerian record set in Athens, Greece in June 1999.

Mike Edwards:
Big Brother Nigeria ‘Pepper Dem’ star, Mike Edwards cleared 2.20m, a personal season’s best to successfully defend the high jump title he first won last year at the sports ground of Yaba College of Technology. The height may not be world class but it is the second time the 31 year old will be hitting the 2.20m mark after clearing 2.23m to win his maiden title in June 2021.
Edward is also the only Nigerian since at least year 2000 to have cleared 2.20m or more at the championships and he has been consistent in reaching that height since 2019.

Obiageri Amaechi:
Obiageri made it a memorable debut at the 2022 Nigerian Athletics championships, setting a personal best of 58.10m to win her first national title. The 23 year old switched allegiance to Nigeria from USA in July 2021 and made her debut for Nigeria at the 22nd African Athletics Championships in Mauritius where she placed third behind compatriot, Chioma Onyekwere who threw 58.19m to successfully defend her African championships title. In Benin at the Nigerian championships, Onyekwere was however denied the chance to retain the National title she threw 62.20m to win in Lagos last year. Her 57.33m effort was only good to place her second behind Obiageri.

Oyesade Olatoye:
Oyesade made history in Mauritius as the first Nigerian woman to win the Hammer Throw title in the history of the African Athletics Championships. The 25 year old achieved the feat after throwing 63.67m in Mauritius. At the 2022 Nigerian Athletics Championships, she opted for the hammer throw instead of the Shot Put event that gave her the first first Nigerian title after switching allegiance from USA in 2019. Like she did in Mauritius, she proved to be the best as her 64.06m throw was good enough to land her a second Nigerian Athletics Championships medal.

Culled From Complete Sports

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