Wind denies Chukwuma again as Nigerians battle conditions at Ed Murphey Classic
Enekwechi’s big throw falls short of victory in dramatic Shot Put duel

The Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis delivered drama, speed, and heartbreak for Nigeria’s top track and field stars on Saturday, as wind readings once again played spoiler to several standout performances.
Leading the list of near-misses was Rosemary Chukwuma, who clocked a blistering 10.90s in the women’s 100m—her fastest time under any conditions this season.
But with a tailwind of +3.7m/s, the mark was ruled illegal for record purposes. It was the third time in 2025 that Chukwuma has been denied a legal sub-11 clocking due to excessive wind.
She wasn’t alone in her frustration. Adaobi Tabugo, Nigeria’s rising sprint hurdler and heir apparent to Tobi Amusan, ran 12.93s in the 100m hurdles, only to see the performance invalidated by a +2.3m/s wind.
Tabugo has already run legal times of 12.87 and 12.95 this season, but Saturday’s effort would have further solidified her breakout campaign.
Veteran sprinter Ogho-Oghene Egwero also fell victim to the breeze, with his 10.09s run nullified by a +2.1m/s wind. The time would have been his fastest since 2016 and a season’s best. Adekalu Fakorede, meanwhile, ran 10.12s in his heat, also wind-aided.
In the women’s 200m, Favour Ofili ran a strong 22.00s to finish second behind American McKenzie Long, who completed a sprint double with a wind-aided 10.88s in the 100m and wind-legal 21.93s in the 200m. Ofili’s time was her second fastest since her 21.96 PB in 2022.
In the field events, Chioma Onyekwere Lyons recorded no mark in the discus, while Obiageri Pamela Amaechi managed 56.37m for ninth place.
Ruth Usoro, returning to the long jump pit after nearly a year, struggled with rhythm and fouls, registering a best of 6.08m.
In the shot put, Onome Ogbeni opened with a solid 17.71m, just four centimeters shy of her personal best, but fouled her remaining five attempts.
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, however, delivered a clutch 21.67m on his fifth attempt to briefly lead the competition, only to be overtaken by Tripp Piperi of the USA, who launched 21.88m on his final throw.