NCAA DI Outdoor Championships 2024 – East First Round: Oghenebrume, Ashe, Ajayi drawn apart in 100m first round heats

The Nigerian trio of Godson Oghenebrume, Favour Ashe and Kanyinsola Ajayi will run in separate first round heats Wednesday when the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships – East First Round begins in Lexington, Kentucky.

Oghenebrume, winner of the 100m at the SEC outdoor championships penultimate weekend will begin his bid for a second appearance in the NCAA outdoor championships in June in the second heat.

The 21 year old will be seeking to take one of the three automatic tickets on offer in the heat.

Ashe will run in the fourth heat where he will go head to head with Uganda’s new kid on the block, Tarsis Orogot of University of Alabama.

Ajayi will compete in the third heat where his only target is to qualify for his first NCAA outdoor championships.

Like Ajayi, Tima Godbless will be the focus on Thursday when the women’s 100m takes centre stage. The reigning National Sports Festival double sprint champion has been drawn in heat three alongside her Louisiana State University colleague, Thelma Davies will be the woman to beat.

Godbless will however be contented to be one of the three sprinters that will grab the three automatic tickets on offer.

In the women’s 400m, Ella Onojuvwevwo will be looking to not only qualify for her first NCAA outdoor championships individual final, she will also be eager to break 51 seconds for the third time in two weeks.

The 19 year old scorched to a 50.57 lifetime best at the SEC outdoor championships almost a forthnight ago in Gainesville, Florida and the Nigerian will be the centre of attraction for Nigerians who are looking at her as the new Falilat Ogunkoya.

At the NCAA West First Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Nathaniel Ezekiel will be aiming to make history as the first man to run inside 48 seconds in the men’s 400m hurles.

Nathaniel stormed to a 48.00 lifetime best a forthnight ago at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium in Waco, Texas.

The 20 year old will run from lane five in the final heat (6) with his focus solely on picking one of the three automatic tickets on offer.

Rosemary Chukwuma will begin her quest for a third straight NCAA outdoor championship appearance lane five in the very first heat of the 100m on Thursday.

Chukwuma will be joined by her Texas Tech University Nigerian colleague, Success Umukoro and University of Texas in El Pao, UTEP’s Rejoice Sule.

Former World U20 400m champion, Imaobong Nse Uko will hope to kickstart her outdoor campaign with an impressive performance in the first round heats of the full lap race.

Nse Uko has not hit the gear that made her a world champion in 2021 and will be seeking to at least run inside 53 seconds for the first time this year and wait if it can fetch her one of the three automatic qualifiers or one of the six fastest losers.