Itshekiri and Ogunlewe extend Nigeria’s bid for first 100m medal to 2025

Nigerians will have to wait for at least two more years if they are desirous of seeing at least one of their countrymen run in the final of World Athletics’
flagship event, the World Championships after the duo of Ushoritse Itshekiri and Seye Ogunlewe exit the event at the semifinal stage.

The duo had, against all expectations, made it to the semifinals to prove they are the best Nigerian sprinters at the moment after coming first and second
respectively at the Nigerian Championships last month in Benin City.

Wishes however refused to be horses and their beggars refused to ride as they both crashed out at the semifinal stage.

Itshekiri ran 10.19 to finish last in the first semifinal heat while Ogunlewe ran 10.12 to finish fifth in the second semifinal.

The last time a Nigerian ran in the 100m final was in 2007 when Olusoji Fasuba ran 10.04 seconds to finish fourth.

Daniel Effiong was the first Nigerian to run in the final of the event in 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany where he finished seventh (10.04) while Olopade Adeniken
made it to the final two years later in Gothenburd, Sweden (ran 10.20 to finish seventh).

It was the turn of Davidson Ezinwa to make it to the final in Athens, Greece in 1997 and she ran 10.10 seconds to finish sixth.

For the first time in Championships history, Nigeria produced two men, Deji Aliu and Uchenna Emedolu in the final, coming fifth and sixth respectively.

Fasuba run in the final in Osaka, Japan four years later but Nigerians will have to wait for 18 more years, at the least, to see one run in the final again.