Ogazi, Onojuvwevwo lead list of 13 Nigerian track and field athletes set to make their debut at the Olympics

Two teenage quartermile sensations, Samuel Ogazi and Ella Onojuvwevwo lead the list of 13 Nigerian athletes who will be making their debut at the Olympics when it is held from next month in Paris, France.

Ogazi, at just 18, has done what many Nigerian 400m runners could only do in their 20s while Onojuvwevwo has perfectly stepped into the shoes Fatimah Yusuf left in her teenage years on the track.

While the former ran the fastest 400m time (44.52) by a Nigerian man since Innocent Egbunike set the 44.17 Nigerian record in 1987, the latter ran the fastest time (50.57) by an U20 Nigerian athlete ever and the fastest 400m time by a Nigerian woman since 2001 when Falilat Ogunkoya ran 50.50 to qualify for the final of the World Athletics Championships at the Commonwealth stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Favour Ofili and Tima Godbless will compete in two individual events at the Paris Olympics as they are also set to make their debut.

Ofili punched her ticket for the 100m event after running 11.06 personal season’s best at the Nigerian track and field championships which ended Tuesday evening at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin.

The 21 year old will now compete in the 100m and 200m events, same as Godbless, the reigning National Sports Festival double sprint champion who punched the two tickets at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships which ended penultimate weekend in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Also set to make their debut at the Olympics are high jumper, Temitope Adeshina who punched her ticket to become the second Nigerian woman high jumper after Doreen Amata to feature at the biggest sporting fiesta in the world as well as sprinters Favour Ashe, Godson Oghenebrume and Udodi Onwuzurike.

While Ashe and Oghenebrume will compete in the 100m, Onwuzurike, the 2021 World U20 champion, has only punched his ticket in the 200m event.

Nathaniel Ezekiel will be hoping to finally break 48 seconds at the biggest stage for sports as he is also going to debut at the Olympics for the first time.

Reigning African Games 400m champion, Chidi Okezie and 800m runner, Edose Ibadin are also going to the Olympics for the first time.

Only two of the 15 Nigerian athletes who have punched their tickets to the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad are not first timers. They are world 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan who will be seeking for gold in her third attempt and Chukwuebuak Enekwechi who is making a return three years after he made his debut in Tokyo, Japan.

Amusan missed a podium place the last time she competed, coming fourth by the narrowest of margins while Enekwechi will be seeking an improvement on his 12th placing three years ago.