Obiageri Amaechi to open Nigeria’s medal campaign at 20th World Athletics Championships

Commonwealth Games bronze medalist in the discus throw event, Obiageri Pamela Amaechi, will open Nigeria’s campaign for a return to the podium when the 20th World Athletics Championships are flagged off in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday.

Nigeria returned without a medal two years ago in Budapest, Hungary, after winning a gold and a silver a year earlier in Oregon.

This time, Nigeria, led by former World 100m hurdles champion Tobi Amusan and 400m hurdler Nathaniel Ezekiel, will be keen to win at least a medal again, and Amaechi has been given the task to set the team on the right path by qualifying for the final of the discus event, which would be a first by a Nigerian.

The 26-year-old reigning African Games champion has been drawn in the first of two qualifying groups and will compete ahead of reigning Commonwealth Games champion Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons.

Amaechi hit the 60m mark for the first time in her career when she threw 64.80m, a new lifetime best, at ‘Throw Town’ in Ramona, Oklahoma, a town known for the favourable wind conditions it offers discus throwers.

This not only ensured her qualification for the World Championships but also gave her hope of making history as the first Nigerian woman to throw herself into the World Championships final.

A repeat performance of this will certainly get her to the final.

If Amaechi fails to fulfil expectations, the pressure will automatically be on Onyekwere-Lyons, the African record holder in the event (64.96m).

The 31-year-old is no stranger to throwing the discus above 64.00m. This year, she holds a 64.12m personal season’s best, the second season she has hit the 60m mark.

Both Amaechi and Onyekwere-Lyons could make double history like they did at the Commonwealth Games when they both made it to the podium.

A podium finish may not be a realistic dream this season, as they will need to hit the 70m mark at least to be in contention, but a place in the final will be both massive and historic.

Amaechi and Onyekwere-Lyons will not be the only Nigerians in action on the first day of competition.

Another field eventer, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, will also be in action as he bids to make up for the disappointment of not making it to the Diamond League final.

Two years ago, Enekwechi failed to throw himself into his third straight final in the history of the Championships. This time around, the 32-year-old will be keen to throw himself back into the final and into the final eight, like he did on his debut in 2019.

A repeat of the 22.10m African record he threw at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meet in July will be more than enough to secure a place for him in the final, and even a position higher than the eighth he placed in 2019.

Ese Brume and Prestina Ochonogor will complete the roster for the field eventers on the first day of action. Ochonogor, the reigning African U20 champion and Paris Olympic finalist, will begin the battle to become the third long jumper to make it to the podium after Blessing Okagbare and Brume.

For her to do that, she has to jump her way into the final, and a repeat of her 6.67m season’s best may not be enough. Perhaps a repeat of her 6.79m personal best can do the magic, as she has been drawn in a group where two jumpers have hit above the 7m mark, three above 6.90m, and a few others above 6.80m and 6.70m.

Brume will compete in the second qualifying group and should find herself in her fourth straight final if she can repeat her 6.79m personal season’s best. The 29-year-old has never finished below fourth (2023) since 2017, when she failed to get out of the qualifying group.

There will also be three Nigerians on the track on the opening day of competition. While the start list for the men’s 100m heats is yet to be confirmed, Rosemary Chukwuma’s lane and heat have been confirmed.

The 23-year-old has been drawn in lane 7 in the second of seven opening-round heats, with four athletes standing in her way to a second straight semifinal appearance in the 100m.

The Nigerian will have to battle Ewa Swoboda of Poland, one of the Jamaican sprint sensations Tina Clayton (10.81 SB), veteran Briton Dina Asher-Smith (10.93 SB), and Portugal’s Lorène Dorcas Bazolo.

Pre-Championships medal hopes, Tobi Amusan and Ezekiel Nathaniel will not be in action until Day 2 and Day 3 of the championships respectively. Amusan will run on Day 2 (Sunday) while Nathaniel will run the next day.

With no relays to look forward to, Nigeria’s campaign will be effectively over on Day 7 of the nine days of action with the men’s 400m hurdles and 200m finals to be decided.