Ezeakor, Sunday drawn in heats 2 and 4 as they begin bid for Nigeria’s first World U20 100m gold in 28 years
Eyakpobeyan to spearhead women's bid for first blue ribband title since 1986
Chidera Ezeakor and Okon Israel Sunday have been drawn in heats two and four respectively to begin their bid for World Athletics U20 Championships 100m gold, 28 years after a Nigerian last mounted the podium as champion.
Francis Obikwelu made history in 1996 in Sydney, Australia as the first African to successfully complete a sprint double in the history of the Championships. That, regrettably was the last time a Nigerian made it to the podium, not only as world champion but for any colour of medal.
The duo of Ezeakor and Sunday will try to rewrite that unwanted record but will have to successfully navigate their first round opponents and either pick one of the two automatic tickets on offer in their respective heat or finish among the eight fastest losers.
Ezeakor, who holds a 10.36 lifetime best achieved this year will battling for the two automatic tickets with two athletes who have ran faster than he has this season viz South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza who is the fasest in the group with the 10.13 lifetime best he achieved this year and Australia’s Sebastian Sultana who has done 10.17 this year, which is also his lifetime best.
Lurking in lane four, just inside the Nigerian is Argentina’s Tomás Mondino who holds a 10.34 lifetime best but has only ran 10.58 this year.
For Sunday, he should easily run his way into the semifinals as he has been drawn as the fastest man in the heat.
For the women, the story is worrisome as the duo of Justina Tiana Eyakpobeyan and Chioma Cynthia Nweke will be seeking to do what no Nigerian U20 woman has achieved since Tina Iheagwan won the blue ribband gold in 1986.
Eyakpobeyan has been drawn to run from lane five in the second heat where she should easily pick one of the three automatic tickets to the semifinal alongside Nigeria-born Briton, Mabel Akande who is the second fastest (11.27) to the bonafide Nigerian whose 11.24 lifetime best achieved this year is the fastest in her heat.
Nweke (11.61) will need to run a lifetime best to pick one of the three tickets in heat four as she has been drawn against three athletes who have run faster than she has this year.
South Africa’s Viwe Jingqi (11.23) is the fastest, followed by China’s Yujie Chen (11.29) and Chelsea Scolyer of Australia (11.50).
