Nigeria’s leading athletes will begin their campaign at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday, with three events involving the country scheduled for the opening night.
Former world champion Tobi Amusan headlines the Nigerian contingent, with the hurdler set to compete in the women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals and potentially the final. Nigeria will also feature in the mixed 4x100m final and the women’s 400m semi-finals.
The first medal of the championship will be decided in the mixed 4x100m relay, where Nigeria will face hosts Hungary, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Germany and the United States.
Amusan will contest the women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals, while Ella Onojuvwevwo will represent Nigeria in the women’s 400m semi-finals. The women’s 100m hurdles final is scheduled for one hour and 16 minutes after the semi-finals.
Nigeria’s Budapest delegation includes a mixture of established names and emerging athletes across the individual and mixed relay events.
Although Amusan is listed for the mixed 4x100m, the tight schedule means her participation is expected to be focused primarily on the hurdles.
Alaba Akintola, Favour Ashe, Miracle Ezechukwu, Udodi Onwuzurike and Rosemary Nwankwo are the other athletes listed for the mixed relay.
However, Ezechukwu was still waiting for her visa as of Thursday, leaving the team’s full participation dependent on her arrival in Budapest before the scheduled call time.
Nigeria will also be represented in the men’s 100m, with Kanyinsola Ajayi entering the competition on Saturday.
Ajayi is drawn in the second semi-final alongside Ackeem Blake, 2020 Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, South African Akani Simbine, American Kenneth Bednarek, Cameroon’s African champion Emmanuel Eseme, Colombia’s Ronal Longa and Ronnie Baker.
Onwuzurike is scheduled to compete in the men’s 200m on Sunday, in addition to his mixed 4x100m duties.
His first semi-final will feature Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo and Bednarek among the notable competitors.
African record-holder Ezekiel Nathaniel will round off Nigeria’s individual campaign when he contests the men’s 400m hurdles on the championship’s final day.
