Fasuba, Obinna-Alo and Afolabi: Three ‘Nigerian’ Teenage Wonders Ready to Dominate Global Athletics
Three teenage sprint sensations with Nigerian roots are rewriting British athletics history, raising questions about why young talents born to Nigerian parents often flourish abroad while their counterparts at home struggle under systemic failures.
Celine Obinna-Alo, just 15, has already broken the UK under-17 indoor 60m record with a blistering 7.34 seconds, a mark that had stood since 2007.
Faster at her age than Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt, she is coached by former World Indoor champion Richard Kilty and has her sights set firmly on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Obinna-Alo’s consistency indoors and outdoors, including a 100m time of 11.69 into a stiff headwind, has made her one of Britain’s most reliable young performers.
Annabelle Fasuba, daughter of Nigerian sprint royalty Olusoji Fasuba, the former African 100m record holder, has emerged as perhaps the most spectacular revelation of the past two years.
At just 13, she equalled Katharine Merry’s U15 British 200m record with 23.72 and smashed Jodie Williams’ 100m age-group mark with 11.51.
Remarkably, these feats came less than two years after she first took up the sport, underscoring her meteoric rise.
Aliyah Afolabi, based in Cardiff, has also announced herself as a force. She set a U15 national record of 24.13 over 200m in 2024, followed by 11.62 for 100m the next year, times comparable to Britain’s senior star Daryll Neita at the same age.
This season, she claimed the Welsh U17 title in 23.86, showing steady progression and the ability to challenge the best juniors in the country.
Together, these three athletes represent a new wave of British sprinting excellence, all carrying Nigerian heritage.
Their rise abroad contrasts sharply with the situation in Nigeria, where age-grade competitions have long been plagued by allegations of cheating and poor administration.
Instead of nurturing genuine teenage talent, authorities have often been accused of fielding over-aged athletes, undermining the credibility of youth development.
This discrepancy has not gone unnoticed internationally. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has queried Nigeria over repeated age discrepancies in junior competitions, raising concerns about the integrity of the country’s talent pipeline.
While Nigerian-born athletes abroad thrive under structured systems, transparent coaching, and merit-based opportunities, many at home are denied the chance to develop due to corruption and mismanagement.
The success of Obinna-Alo, Fasuba, and Afolabi is therefore not just a story of individual brilliance but a reflection of what Nigerian athletics could achieve if systemic issues were addressed.
Their achievements abroad highlight the untapped potential within Nigeria, potential that continues to be squandered by a system more focused on short-term gains than genuine development.
