Fresh from her record-breaking feat at the Wanda Diamond League in Paris where she ran a new African Record of 12.41s in the 100m Hurdles, Nigerian athlete, Tobi Amusan continued her record-breaking spree as she set a new Championship Record (CR) of 12.54s to retain her title at the National Championships in Benin, Edo State.
Amusan dominated her heat with a time of 12.67s, before breaking Angela Atede’s former CR of 12.63s set in 1997 in Lagos. Amusan, who is the reigning African and Commonwealth Games Champion, was in a league of her own as she pulled clear of everyone to cross the line first as Grace Ayemoba followed in 13.64s.
NUGA Champion, Stella Ayanleke claimed her first national medal, settling for Bronze with a time of 13.85s.
Following her successful title defence at the African Championships in Mauritius a fortnight ago, Amusan will now set her sights on the forthcoming World Athletics Championships in Oregon and will aim to improve on her 4th place finish from Doha, whilst also hoping to successfully defend her Commonwealth Games title.
Nigerian sprinter, Favour Ashe has become only the second man in history to run a sub-10s on home soil, holding off the challenge from a star-studded field to win the men’s 100m final on Day 2 of the Nigerian World Championships/Commonwealth Games Trials.
The University of Tennessee Freshman had qualified for the final after running 10.07s to win his semifinal race earlier in the day, putting him in contention for the title. Ashe then stormed to the first sub-10 of his career, holding off Alaba Akintola (10.06s) and Godson Brume (10.15s) to become Nigeria’s fastest man with a time of 9.99s.
Ashe, 20, has since come a long way from last year when he placed 6th in the final of the men’s 100m at the Olympic Trials. Despite being the only Freshman in the lineup of the men’s 100m final at this month’s NCAA Outdoor Championships, he held his own to win Silver with a time of 10.08s.
In the women’s race, Grace Nwokocha held off the challenge of Rosemary Chukwuma to win her first women’s 100m title at the National Championships, getting to the line in a time of 11.03s as the latter followed in 11.07s. Tima Godbless claimed Bronze after returning a time of 11.38s.
Nwokocha made the finals of the 100m and 200m at the NCAA Championships earlier this month, finishing 6th in both races while Chukwuma settled for 4th in the 100m in Oregon. The pair have both qualified for next month’s World Championships and dipped inside 11s in the semis of the NCAA Championships.
Nigeria’s High Jump duo of Temitope Adeshina and Esther Isa took their friendship to another level on Day 2 of the World Championships/Commonwealth Games Trials, winning joint GOLD in their event with an identical height of 1.88m.
All through the course of the competition, the pair remained inseparable and kept cheering each other on. At the end of the day, they maintained a similar sequence to both win GOLD after being unable to clear a height of 1.91m. Laura Odivwri took the Bronze medal with 1.70m.
The winning mark of 1.88m is a new Personal Best (PB) for Adeshina, bettering her previous lifetime best of 1.80m, while the mark is also 1cm shy of Isa’s best of 1.89m and a Season’s Best (SB) for her. Isa, who competes for Middle Tennessee State University, is a three-time National Champion in the event.
Her latest victory takes her tally to four, while it’s the first national title for Adeshina. It’s also Isa’s second medal at this trials as she won Bronze in the Triple Jump event. Adeshina made her first appearance for Nigeria at the African Championships in Mauritius where she won Silver with a height of 1.79m.
