Can Enekwechi overcome all odds and make World Indoor Championships’ history?

With his participation confirmed and, barely any last-minute changes, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will be looking to make history as the first Nigerian thrower and fourth Nigerian field eventer to mount the World Athletics Indoor Championships podium to receive a medal.

The 32-year-old will also be aiming to become the 11th Nigerian to do so since the inaugural edition of the competition in 1985.

Can the Paris 2024 Olympics surmount the almost insurmountable hurdles represented by eight athletes in the line up of 15 jostling to throw far and reach the podium?

The Nigerian holds a personal season’s best of 21.13m which makes him ninth in terms of 2025 list of top performers so far.

The last time he was at the championships, he could not throw farther than 2.60m which did not take him to the podium. Instead, it landed him in sixth place.

The obvious favourite for gold will be the pre-championships world leader, Leonardo Fabbri (21.95m) of Italy who, like the Nigeran was a finalist at the Olympics in Paris.

Fabbri is seeking for his first global title like Enekwechi and holds a 16-8 head to head advantage over the Nigerian.

With the absence of Joe Kovacs, the silver medalist from Paris and two-time World champion as well as defending champion, Ryan Crouser who has monopolized the stage at the Olympics, the Italian has the chance to finally make hay while the sun is shinning on him now.

Also ranked above the Nigerian is another Italian, Zane Weir who has thrown 21.76m this year but who Enekwechi has beaten, as it were, nine times in 17 head-to-head clashes.

New Zealander, Tom Walsh is also among the contenders but unlike others, he has navigated the scene five times and has never missed his way to the podium.

The 33 year old is will be looking to win his third gold in his sixth appearance after winning in 2016 and 2018. He holds a personal season’s best of 21.24m and has beaten the Nigerian 18 out of the 26 times their paths have crossed.

Enekwechi will definitely need to throw farther than his 21.13m personal season’s best and hit close to 22m to be able to make history as the first Nigerian thrower to mount the podium at any global event.