Greetings and welcome to Natural Naija Athletics, a fan site for everything Nigerian Athletics. Starting in the 2023 season, this site will report on all things from the Nigerian track and field world. This site will deliver Nigerian Athletics news and analysis to the masses with highlighting the exploits of Nigeria's finest athletes.
Now a little about myself as the creator of this blog: I am a sports junkie and track and field fanatic that was born, raised, and currently living in the United States of America. Although I am an American, I follow Nigerian track and field closer than most other sports. I started following Nigerian Athletics as a whole very closely in 2019. My favorite Athletic events are the throwing events which I had been following for many years prior and 2019 was a great year for Nigerian throwers. Between Chukwuebuka Enekwechi making the Men’s Shotput final in his debut outing at the World Championships in Doha and Chioma Onyekwere throwing over 60 meters for the first time and nearly making the World Championship final I was very excited to follow their careers. 2019 also marked the emergence of Divine Oduduru’s with his stellar performance in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. His double gold medal in the 100m and 200m finals turned a lot heads in the US and I ended up following the sprint events at the African Games and World Championships later that year more closely.
Since then, I have been glued to Nigerian Athletics, getting a seat on the yearly rollercoaster following all of the ups and downs of the nation's most premiere sports. I mourned with the country as the dreams of 10 athletes were stolen due to the federation’s negligence at the Tokyo Olympics. I was glued to my television as Ese Brume leaped her way to the Olympic podium days later. My jaw dropped and screamed at the top of my lungs as I watched Tobi Amusan speed her way to the record books at last year’s World Championships in Oregon. My point is that even though I am not Nigerian, my loyalties and fandom lie with the Green and White. The talent that consistently comes from this country is amazing and I believe that Nigeria can be a Track and Field superpower and like always I will be watching on the edge of my seat as the nation's ascension awaits.
2023 is a big year for the future of the Nigerian Athletics Program. Their achievements in 2022 have brought more eyes to the sport than there have been in many years. 2 World Championship Medals, 6 Commonwealth Medals, and 11 Senior African Championship Medals in one season marks one of the most successful campaigns in recent memory. It will be important for Team Nigeria to keep building in the right direction, and 2023 will have numerous opportunities.
The young athletes will have a chance to shine with many competitions including the African U18 and U20 African Championships will take place in Zambia. After the National Championship which is slated for late-July, two Major Championships will follow in August. The African Games are expected to take place in Ghana in early-August and immediately after that the World Athletics Championships will take place in Hungary. Along with these major championships, there will be countless meets in the US in the NCAA season where the young Nigerian athletes will headline multiple events. That season starts in January with the indoor National Championship taking place in March and the outdoor National Championship taking place in June. And of course, there will be professional meets across the global circuit such as the Diamond League Circuit and World Athletics Continental Tour where Nigeria's top athletes will compete as well.
I have dedicated this site to bring as many news reports and updates surrounding these meets as much as possible throughout the season. Spreading news about the Nigerian athletes wherever they are in the world will grow interest in the sport. This site will have track meet previews and recaps, athlete analyses, and opinion articles on the current state of Nigerian athletics from a unique perspective. The reporting on this site will aim to be an unbiased look at the action on and off the track and all opinions will be my own. I hope that this site will peak and become a leading source for Nigerian athletics content.
Comments