Amusan, Ajayi among five Nigerians qualified for World Athletics Ultimate Championship
Five Nigerian athletes have qualified for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, with Tobi Amusan and Kayinsola Ajayi leading the country’s individual contingent for the three-day global event.
Nigerian Stars Target Success at the Inaugural Ultimate Championship
Amusan, Ajayi, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Samuel Ogazi and Ella Onojuvwevwo will represent Nigeria in their respective individual events, while the country has also secured qualification in the 4x100m relay.
The Ultimate Championship will take place from September 11 to 13 at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, bringing together some of the leading performers in world athletics.
Amusan will compete in the women’s 100m hurdles, where she remains one of Nigeria’s biggest names on the international stage.
The 29-year-old is the world record holder in the event after clocking 12.12 seconds in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene. She went on to win gold in the final, becoming Nigeria’s first world champion in athletics.
Ajayi will line up in the men’s 100m after a breakthrough season that has seen him establish himself among the leading sprinters in the world.
The Nigerian has equalled the national record of 9.84 seconds three times this season and has recorded notable victories against some of the world’s top sprinters.
His qualification adds another strong Nigerian presence to the championship’s blue-riband sprint event.
Nathaniel will compete in the men’s 400m hurdles after producing another impressive season.
The Nigerian is a Commonwealth Games champion, having won gold in Glasgow in 48.47 seconds. He also holds the national record in the event at 47.11 seconds.
Ogazi earned his place in the men’s 400m following a season that has further established him as one of Nigeria’s brightest young quarter-milers.
The 20-year-old broke the Nigerian record with 43.38 seconds earlier this year and went on to win Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow.
Onojuvwevwo completes Nigeria’s five individual qualifiers in the women’s 400m.
She made history this season by becoming the first Nigerian woman in more than two decades to break the 50-second barrier in the event, running a personal best of 49.59 seconds.
Onojuvwevwo also claimed bronze at the Commonwealth Games, adding another major achievement to her breakthrough campaign.
Nigeria will also be represented in the 4x100m relay after securing qualification for the event.
The relay pool includes Alaba Akintola, Udodi Onwuzurike, Favour Ashe, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Chigozie and Jennifer Obi Chukwuka.
The qualification gives Nigeria another opportunity to compete for honours in Budapest, with the relay squad joining the five individual qualifiers at the inaugural championship.
The Ultimate Championship is designed to bring together the best performers from the season to compete for the title of Ultimate Champion.
The event will feature 28 disciplines and a record US$10 million prize purse, with each individual champion set to receive US$150,000.
For Nigeria, Amusan’s experience, Ajayi’s emergence, Nathaniel’s hurdles pedigree, Ogazi’s record-breaking season and Onojuvwevwo’s breakthrough will form the core of the country’s individual challenge in Budapest.
The 4x100m relay team will provide another opportunity for Nigerian athletes to make their mark when the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship gets underway in Hungary.