The professional track season is well under way and Nigeria’s elite athletes have been competing in meets across the world. While the large Nigerian collegiate athlete contingent has been performing well, athletes on the professional circuit have been posting excellent marks. Here is a ranking list of Nigeria's athletes with the best outdoor seasons so far.
1. Ese Brume (Event: Long Jump | World Ranking: 3rd | 2023 Event Toplist: 13th)
The African Jump Queen has had the strongest start to the season of all the Nigerian Elite Athletes. She started her season with back-to-back victories at the Botswana Grand Prix and the Montreuil International Meeting in France jumping 6.77 meters and a wind-aided 6.88 meters. Then after a 4th place finish in her Diamond League season opener in Florence, she won the Orlen Memorial in Poland with a wind-legal season’s best 6.81 meters jump. After finishing in 2nd place in 19.Int. Golden Roof Challenge in Austria and 1st Folksam Grand Prix in Sweden, she has recorded Top 4 finishes in every meet this season. Her impressive record so far and her 6.88-meter leap place her at the top of this list.
2. Chuk Enekwechi (Event: Shotput | World Ranking: 10th | 2023 Event Toplist: 12th)
Nigeria’s top male athlete continues to persevere among the world’s shotput elite. After a rough opener at Drake Relays, he bounced back with two straight wins in Brazil in early-May throwing 21.25 meters and 21.28 meters. Then after a 6th place 21.21-meter effort at the USATF Throws Festival, Enekwechi hit a new season peak at the Los Angeles Grand Prix. He set a new season’s best mark on May 27th throwing 21.69 meters which was good enough for a Top 5 finish in a stacked competition. This was the third farthest throw of his career, his farthest since 2019, and is the 12th farthest throw in the world in 2023. He backed this up with a 3rd place finish at the Irena Szewińska Memorial Meet throwing 21.32 meters, and a 2nd place finish at the New York Grand Prix throwing 21.43 meters. A new personal best mark seems insight for Enekwechi, as he is inching closer to perhaps breaking the longstanding African Men’s Shotput Record.
3. Chioma Onyekwere (Event: Discus Throw | World Ranking: 16th | 2023 Event Toplist: 11th)
The reigning Commonwealth Games champion hit the ground running this year. She opened her season in April throwing 60.79 meters at the Triton Invitational in San Diego, her best season opener ever. The following week she hit a major milestone, breaking the African Women’s Discus record with a new personal best of 64.96m at the Oklahoma Throws Series. This throw is currently the 11th farthest throw in the world this year. Since then, she has had Top 5 finishes in the Brazil Grand Prix, USATF Throws Fest, and Los Angeles Grand Prix but has yet to throw above 60 meters since breaking the record. If she is able to get back to form, then she can make a deep run in the World Championships.
4. Ruth Usoro (Event: Long Jump | World Ranking: 16th | 2023 Event Toplist: 11th)
In her first season as a post-collegiate athlete, Usoro has inserted herself into the conversation of the world’s long jumping elite. She opened her outdoor season winning the Long Jump at the Mirimar Invitational in April with a wind-aided mark of 6.82 meters. Weeks later, she finished 3rd in the Bermuda Grand Prix once again jumping 6.82 meters, this time with a legal wind for an official personal best. She became the 4th Nigerian woman to ever achieve a legal 6.8-meter long jump. She joins Brume near the top of the long jumper season’s best list this season, having a further wind-legal mark than Brume does. Even though Usoro has not competed in many meets so far, she will be gunning to return to the World Championship final in this event come August.
5. Tobi Amusan (Event: 100m Hurdles | World Ranking: 1st | 2023 Event Toplist: 10th)
The world’s #1 ranked 100-meter hurdler has had a modest start to her 2023 campaign by her standards. She opened the season running a personal best 11.10 seconds in the 100m at the Tom Jones Memorial in Florida which is currently the 2nd fastest time by a Nigerian woman this year. In her hurdle debut at the same meet, she finished 2nd in the final round with a time of 12.59 seconds. Her next race was a 4th place finish at the Drake Relays running 12.69 seconds, then after that she took about one month off to rehab from an injury. She returned to action at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, once again running 12.69 seconds but this time finishing in 8th place. She was able to regroup and return to her winning ways the following weekend at the Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica with a season’s best time of 12.57 seconds. This time is the 10th fastest time in the world this season. Hopefully her win will be the springboard needed to build momentum as her World title defense draws nearer.
6. Temitope Adeshina (Event: High Jump | World Ranking: 59th | 2023 Event Toplist: T-8th)
This Nigerian-based high jumper has achieved a feat this season that has no Nigerian athlete has done in almost half a decade. Adeshina opened her season clearing the 1.75 meters mark in the Lagos Athletics Series League back in February coming in 1st place. At the next installment of the Lagos Series she would soar past her previous personal best of 1.88 meters to a new height of 1.94 meters to finish in 1st place once again. She becomes the first Nigerian woman to surpass a 1.90 meters high jump since Doreen Amata jumped 1.91m in 2019. It is the best high jump of an African woman this season, the #2 all time in Nigerian history, and is tied for the 8th highest jump in the world in 2023.
7. Seye Ogunwele (Event: 100m | World Ranking: 110th | 2023 Event Toplist: T-37th)
With plenty of hype surrounding the male collegiate sprinters this season, the veteran Ogunwele was quietly preparing for his own fireworks. At the J. Fred Duckett Twilight Meet in Texas in April he had a monster day, winning the men’s 100m with a time of 10.20 seconds. He also won the men’s 200m with a then new personal best of 20.83 seconds. After that he hit the European circuit, running 10.24 & 10.25 seconds in meets in Germany and Czech Republic in late-May and early-June. Then on June 16th in Austria, the ultimate breakthrough came in for the 31-year-old. At the Horst Mandl Memorial Meet he blazed to new personal bests of 10.04s in the 100m and 20.63 seconds in the 200m. He is currently Nigeria’s 6th fastest man in the 100m this season and the 4th fastest in the 200m. The former National Champion looks to have more left in the tank as he nears battle with Nigeria’s top rising stars in July for a ticket to Budapest.
8. Edose Ibadin (Event: 800m | World Ranking: 65th | 2023 Event Toplist: 41st)
The National Record Holder in the 800m has not competed internationally since 2019, but that might change this year. After running three modest races in the 1:48/1:49 range in April and May, Ibadin found another gear at the beginning of June. He competed at the Music City Track Carnival on June 3rd, and had one of the best races of his life. Running a season’s best 1:45.49 seconds to finish in 2nd place. This is the 2nd fastest time of his career and is a mere 0.7 seconds off from the World Championships qualification standard. The 30-year-old followed that up with a 1:46.79 seconds win at the Maryland Qualifier meet less than two weeks later. With about five weeks left to qualify for the Championships, Ibadin is certainly one to watch on the road to Budapest.
9. Sade Olatoye (Event: Hammer Throw | World Ranking: 42nd | 2023 Event Toplist: 55th)
The reigning African Champion is looking to return to her 2021 form when she set the then African Record in the Women’s Hammer Throw, and so far, she is off to a strong start. She opened her season throwing 69.15 meters to finish 2nd at the Florida Relays. This mark placed her as #1 in Africa at this event for the year and she has not looked back. She earned her first win of the season at the Music City Challenge throwing a season’s best 69.33m. She followed that up with a 68.38-meter throw and a 67.90-meter throw in back-to-back meets in Arizona. At the Music City Track Carnival in early June, she threw 69.12 meters to finish in 2nd place. Her lifetime best is 69.89 meters, so with multiple throws near that mark to start the season, a new personal record should be coming very soon.
10. Patience Okon-George (Event: 400m | World Ranking: 101st | 2023 Event Toplist: T-102nd)
The longest tenured national team member has shown that she is still a contender for the title of Nigerian Champion in the 400m dash. The 31-year-old ran a sub-52-second 400m dash for the 10th season of her career at the AFN Golden League in May. Her season best time of 51.92 seconds earned her a 1st place finish at the meet, and she has remained undefeated on the various Nigerian Athletics circuits this season. She now sits as the #3 fastest Nigerian in her event and hopes to run even faster at National Trials.
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