Ezechukwu hits Ben Aghazu excellence prize mark as Ogundiran takes women's 100m title

...Enekwechi extends dominance with fifth shot put crown

By Maxwell Kumoye and Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye at Yaba Tech Sports Complex, Lagos 

 

 

Nigeria's sprint scene took centre stage on Monday at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex, Lagos, as US-based Blessing Ogundiran raced to victory in the women's 100m final at the Commonwealth Games Trials.

Ogundiran produced a commanding performance to stop the clock at 11.12 seconds against a headwind of -0.5m/s, securing the national title ahead of a strong field.

The race, however, also delivered a major milestone for home-based athletics as Miracle Ezechukwu clocked a personal best of 11.15 seconds to finish second and attain the qualifying benchmark for the Ben Aghazu Excellence in Athletics Prize.

Fellow US-based sprinter Olayinka Olajide placed third in 11.28 seconds to complete a highly competitive podium finish.

Speaking after her victory, Ogundiran revealed that patience and adherence to race plans proved decisive.

"My coach told me to focus on my race and remain calm, and that was exactly what I did. It wasn't easy getting here after spending almost four days travelling because of the weather disruptions in the United States, so I am grateful to leave with the title," she said.

Ezechukwu's performance was one of the highlights of the day, underlining the growing impact of the Ben Aghazu Excellence in Athletics Prize, an initiative established to motivate and reward exceptional performances by athletes training within Nigeria.

Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Second Vice President, Akuchukwu Aghazu, expressed satisfaction with the quality of performances witnessed at the championships.

"The objective of this initiative is to encourage athletes to challenge themselves and strive for excellence. Today's results show that our athletes are embracing that challenge," Aghazu stated.

"Miracle's performance is particularly pleasing because it reflects the spirit behind the prize. Achieving a personal best on a stage like this demonstrates determination, preparation and belief."

Aghazu reaffirmed her commitment to supporting the growth of home-based athletes, describing them as critical to the future success of Nigerian athletics.

"Nigeria possesses enormous talent. Our responsibility is to create opportunities, provide incentives and build an environment where athletes can maximise their potential. The performances we have seen here justify the importance of that investment."

Attention will now shift to the men's 100m, with leading contenders Favour Ashe, Chidera Ezeakor, Fakorede Adekalu, Tejiri Godwin and Enoch Adegoke safely through to Tuesday's semifinals after winning their respective heats.

Elsewhere, Olympian Chukwuebuka Enekwechi continued his remarkable dominance in the shot put, capturing a record fifth national title with a winning throw of 21.46m.

Oyesade Oyetayo emerged champion in the hammer throw with a best effort of 65.07m.

The 400m semifinals also produced several notable performances. Former African champion Patience Okon-George advanced comfortably alongside IyanuOluwa Aderemi, who recorded a personal best of 51.86 seconds. Taiwo Kudoro, Faith Ezechukwu, Jecinter Lawrence and Becky Ebiyadi also secured places in the women's final.

In the men's category, Emmanuel Ojeli, Sikiru Adeyemi, Victor Sampson, Samson Nathaniel, Victory Achakpoekri and Tyler Johnson booked their spots in the final.

The championships conclude on Tuesday with the finals of the men's and women's 200m and 400m events, while the 100m hurdles and 110m hurdles are expected to provide further excitement.

Among the distinguished guests in attendance were Olympian Mary Onyali, Nigeria Olympic Committee Vice President Chief Solomon Ogba, Chairman of the Delta State Athletics Association Chief Malik Itiako Ikpokpo, former Team Nigeria captain Hameed Adio, Gloria Obajimi and Emilia Edet.