Day one of the World Championships delivered a blend of near-misses and shining breakthroughs for Team Nigeria, setting the stage for an exciting campaign ahead.
In the women’s events, Rosemary Chukwuma ran a composed 11.27s in the 100m, finishing 5th in her heat and narrowly missing the semifinals in a race taken by Jamaica’s Tia Clayton in 11.01s. In the Long Jump, Prestina Ochonogor recorded 6.05m, while Ese Brume making a remarkable return after her accident also competed, though unable to advance to the finals. In the Discus, Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons managed a best of 55.69m to place 16th in her group, just short of qualification.
The men’s sprints provided the day’s brightest sparks. Kayinsola Ajayi made headlines with a blistering personal best of 9.88s in the 100m, finishing second to South Africa’s Gift Leotlela and becoming the third-fastest Nigerian ever. Debutant Israel Okon Sunday also delivered a stunning performance, winning his heat in 10.04s ahead of Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.06s) and Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs (10.20s), showing maturity well beyond his years.
In the field, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi continued to elevate Nigerian hopes in the Shot Put. After qualifying with 20.83m, he threw a season’s best of 21.52m in the final to secure 5th place his highest ever finish at a World Championships.
Though the day brought mixed fortunes, Nigeria’s athletes displayed resilience and brilliance, laying down markers for what promises to be a captivating championship run.