Ofili drawn in 100m heat of former NCAA champions

Favour Ofili has been drawn in a heat of four NCAA sprint champions at Saturday’s LSU Invitational at Baton Rouge, Louisiana as the Nigerian is making a return to the track some 33 days after she last raced on one.

The 20 year old will also be making her outdoor debut in an individual event since she ran 22.20 to come second at the NCAA Indoor Championships last month in New Mexico.

Ofili has been drawn in lane three of the first of five 100m heats and she will have to battle with the second fastest woman so far this year, Aleia Hobbs who holds a personal season’s best of 10.86.

Hobbs, an alumnus of Ofili’s University, Louisiana State University was NCAA 100m champion in 2018 and will run just outside the Nigerian in labe four.

Also listed are Cambrea Sturgis, NCAA double sprint champions who holds a 10.87 personal best she set last year and Mississipi State University’s McKenzie Long who ran a new 11.00 personal best at the start of the month.

Others are Mikiah Brisco, the 2020and 2021 NCAA 60m indoor champions as well as 18 year old Kaila Jackson who ran 11.19 about three weeks ago.

Ofili will be hoping she can rewind back the hand of the clock to April 30, 2022 when she stormed to a 10.93 personal best at the same event.

In the men’s 100m, it will be a battle between two 19 year olds as Godson Oghenebrume seeks to prove without the wind he can break 10 seconds in the blue ribband event.

The 19 year old Nigerian ran a wind-assisted 9.97 last week and will be aiming to overcome the weather and another 19 year old, Olympics 200m finalist and World Athletics bronze medal winner, Erroyon Knighton of the USA.

Knighton, like Oghenebrume, holds a wind-assisted personal best of 9.98.