Amusan seeking for historic fourth straight Nigerian 100m hurdles title

Reigning world 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan will be seeking to become the first sprint hurdler in recent memory to win the Nigerian Championships’ 100m hurdles four consecutive times when the championships begin Sunday in Benin city, Edo state.

Amusan, the second fastest woman over the high hurdles so far this season won her first Nigerian title in 2021 and has gone on to win in 2022 and 2023, setting a new 12.54 Championships record along the line.

The 27 year old is favoured to not only win but to also rewrite the Championships record she set in 2022.

The stage will not be for Amusan alone as long jumper, Ese Brume will be gunning for her sixth title in the event.

Brume, 28, holds the Nigeria and African record in the event (7.17m) and holds the second longest jump (6.84m) by a Nigerian this year coming to the championships behind Ruth Usoro (6.87m) but she has proved to be have a big occasion temperament.

In the women’s 100m, Rosemary Chukwuma will feel this is her year to win again after running 10.88 to become the second fastest Nigerian woman ever over the distance.

Her major challenger should be the pretty Favour Ofili whose 10.78 and 10.85 runs this year were aided by massive tail winds.

Ofili, 21, will want to prove that she is really the new queen of Nigeran track by defeating the in-form Chukwuma who picked a bronze medal in the event at the NCAA outdoor championships last weekend.

In the women’s 400m, Ella Onojuvwevwo is the favourite to win her first Nigeria championships title after running inside 51 seconds five times so far this year before setting a 50.57 lifetime best, the fastest time ever returned by a Nigerian over the distance since Falilat Ogunkoya ran 50.50 to qualify for the final of the 400m at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

Onojuvwevwo’s biggest challenger will be Elo Joseph, the African Games silver medallist who has broken 52 seconds four times in what has become her breakout year.

Chioma Onyekwere says she feels she is coming back to the form that gave her that historic Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham in 2022 and will fight to regain the Nigerian championships title she lost last year to Ashley Anumba.

The 29 year is not coming home as the national leader in the event, that honours belongs to Obiageri Amaechi who threw a 63.17m lifetime best last month.

Onyekwere will feel her back-to-back wins over Amaechi within the last two weeks will give her the confidence she can fly farther with the Discus this time around.

While it may be a 50-50 scenario in the Discuss throw, it will be a one way traffic in the hammer throw where Oyesade Olatoye will be aiming for her second title win in the event.

The 27 year old threw a distance of 71.88m at the start of the month to set a marker. The marker is a new lifetime best.