DAWN OF A NEW ATHLETICS ERA?

In Nigeria, track athletes of a new generation are beginning to emerge. The top eight up-and-coming talents before the African Games in Ghana

Ekanem Think About (100m)

Consider made sure he won a medal at the African Games AFN trials by dominating the field in the men's 200-meter race after being disqualified from the 100-meter final. Before winning the 200-meter race in the final with a time of 20.60 seconds (-0.5), the 19-year-old set the fourth-fastest time in Nigeria during the trials' heats.

Prior to the Asaba trials, Consider ran the fastest time in the men's 100 metres this year, setting a world record of 10.10 seconds in his first race of the season at the Dynamic Athletics Outdoor Meet 2024 in Lagos in January. He is still a medal contender for Nigeria at the African Games in Ghana next month, where he will compete in the 100 and 200 metres, respectively.

Israel Okon at a distance of 100 metres

In the final of Nigeria's 100-meter African Games AFN trials, Okon capitalised on Consider's false start to win in 10.20 seconds, easily outpacing second- and third-place finishers Fakorede Adekalu and Enoch Adegoke, who finished in 10.26 and 10.30 seconds, respectively.

The quickly-rising 17-year-old athlete is currently ranked 4242 in the men's overall standings and has a personal best record in the 60m (6.92secs), which was set at the Navy New Sport Centre in Lagos.
Fiaku Fortune Teller (High Leap)

At the African Games AFN trials in Asaba, sixteen-year-old Goodluck put on a memorable show, breaking her own record in the high jump.

In order to win the trials, the African U-18 bronze medallist first matched his personal best of 2.10 metres, then exceeded it with a 2.12-meter effort.
Prior to the 13th African Games in Ghana, he is the only athlete from Nigeria to compete in high jumping.

Ever since he became interested in sports approximately eight years ago, while he was in Primary 3, Goodluck has always aspired to be an Olympian.

"I am grateful for this invitation, which gives me a lot of motivation to work hard for my country and for myself.

“I still have my eyes on the Olympics, I want to take my career to the top,” he said.
Ajayi Kayinsola (100 x 200 m)

Since taking home the gold in the 100 metres at the 2023 African U-20 Championships in Ndola, Zambia, Ajayi has emerged as one of the men's sprints' most notable competitors.

After arriving in the US late last year, he expanded on his African dominance by winning two gold medals in the 60-meter Clemson Indoor Track & Field events and the SEC Indoor Championships in February at the Randal Tyson Indoor Centre in Fayetteville. The 19-year-old won the 200-meter qualifying heat at the most recent African Games Trials with the fastest qualifying time overall (10.65 seconds).

Olajide Olayinka (100-meter woman)

Olajide achieved a double by winning gold in the 100 and 200 metres, leaving her mark in the history of the nation's national track champions at the African Games Trials in Asaba.
She set new personal records in both events to accomplish this amazing feat. The 21-year-old's personal best time of 11.19 seconds made her the fastest Nigerian woman in the 100 metres.

She was too hot to handle as she broke away from Blessing Ogundiran, who finished in second place with 11.50 seconds, and Favour Onyebuchi, who finished in third place with 11.66 seconds, running in lane three in the final. She confidently coasted home. In addition, she set a new personal record in the women's 200-meter event, winning in 23.24 seconds (-0.6).

Faith Osamuyi (hurdles 100 metres)

When Osamuyi won the 100-meter hurdles national title at the trials in Asaba, she took advantage of the absence of world record hurdler Tobi Amusan, giving fans a taste of what to expect from her at the African Games in Ghana. She defeated favourite Stella Ayanleke, who pursued her to the finish line and set a new personal best of 13.60 seconds, to win the final in 13.48 seconds, her new personal record. Grace Ayemoba and Precious Uduvweghre finished fourth and third, respectively, in times of 14.54 and 14.31 seconds.


Joseph Esther (400m)

When Joseph defeated the favourite Patience Okon to win the title in the women's 400-meter race at the African Games Trials, few could have predicted the upset.

The favourite to win was Okon-George, a formidable force in Nigerian athletics. Even so, Esther stole the show, finishing in an incredible 52.00 seconds and demonstrating incredible speed and perseverance from the beginning of the race to the finish.

Her time was over a second faster than her previous personal best of 53.07 seconds, earning her the greatest victory of her career to date. Joseph appears ready to have even more of an impact in the 400-meter event at the African Games, possibly shattering Falilat Ogunkoya's record of 49.10 seconds set during the US Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996.

Adeshina Temitope (High Jump)

At the Texas Tech Corky Classic, an NCAA event held in the United States in January, Adeshina broke the national record in the women's high jump. This demonstrated her class.

The 25-year-old broke the Nigerian records of 1.93 metres for indoor jumping and 1.95 metres for outdoor jumping, set by Doreen Amata in 2016 and 2008, respectively, with her 1.96 metres leap.

Although she fell short by 0.01 metres of the automatic qualifying standard for the Paris Olympic Games, her mark became the world record for this year, the third-best mark in NCAA history, and the second-best mark in African indoor history.

The silver medallist for the 2022 African Championships recently cleared 1.90 metres to win the Big 12 championship in Houston, Texas, USA, defeating competitors like Share Enoe and Trinity Tomlinson, who finished with 1.80m and 1.78m jumps respectively.