Onojuvwevwo Storms Into 22.56 Lifetime Best, Moves to Number 11 in Nigeria 200m All-Time List
Ella Onojuvwevwo underlined her growing reputation on Saturday with a blistering 22.56 seconds in the women’s 200m at the LSU Alumni Gold meet, a lifetime best that catapulted her to number 11 on Nigeria’s all-time list.
The 21-year-old improved on the 22.93 she ran last month in Florida, sharpening the speed that analysts say is crucial for her 400m ambitions.
Already a standout in the one-lap event, Onojuvwevwo clocked 49.57 seconds in March to become only the fourth Nigerian woman to break 50 seconds. Her latest 200m breakthrough strengthens her bid to join the exclusive sub-49 club, and perhaps surpass Falilat Ogunkoya’s African record of 49.10 seconds.
Analysts have long suggested that sharpening her 200m speed would be key to breaking into the elite sub-49 territory, and her latest improvement shows she is on course.
Nigeria’s 400m greats, including Falilat Ogunkoya (22.22/49.10), Fatimah Yusuf (22.28/49.43), and Charity Opara (22.60/49.28), all paired strong 200m credentials with world-class 400m times.
Onojuvwvwo now looks poised to follow in their footsteps, with the ultimate goal of surpassing Ogunkoya’s African record of 49.10 seconds and becoming the first Nigerian woman to run under 49 seconds.
Her progress comes as Nigeria prepares for a busy calendar: the Commonwealth Games later this year, the World Athletics Championships in Beijing in 2027, and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
