Ajayi Kanyisola sent shockwaves through the World Championships in Tokyo after storming to a new personal best of 9.88 seconds in the men’s 100 metres heats – www.naijnaira.com reports.
The sensational run saw him finish second behind South Africa’s Gift Leotlela, who clocked 9.87 seconds, while Jamaica’s Oblique Seville settled for third with 9.93.
Premium Times reports that Sunday Israel Okon, just 21, raised Nigerian hopes even higher with a statement performance in Heat 6 of the 100m.
Okon tore down the track in 10.04 seconds to snatch first place, outpacing Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy.
“Nobody saw it coming, but I knew I had it in me,” Okon said after his victory, beaming with confidence.
For Nigeria’s women, things were less cheerful as Rosemary Chukwuma ended fifth in her heat with 11.27 seconds, falling short of the semifinal cut.
In the long jump, teenager Prestina Oluchi Ochonogor exited early on her debut appearance but is already being tipped as a future star.
Ese Brume’s story was more emotional as she returned to competition months after surviving a terrible car accident, though she failed to reach the final.
Nigeria’s shot put king, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, brought relief by qualifying for the final with throws of 20.83m and 20.71m, finishing seventh overall.
Discus throwers Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons and Obiageri Amaechi both fell short, with Onyekwere fouling twice after an initial 59.45m effort, while Amaechi managed 55.69m.
Article updated 3 weeks ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
