Chief Executive Officer, Yussuf Amuda Alli, Elite Athletes Development and Performance Board has explained why Team Nigeria will have a small team at the upcoming Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships.
The final published list yesterday contains 15 athletes seven female and eight male to compete in 11 events, including: men’s and women’s 100m, women’s 100m hurdles, men’s 200m, men’s 400m, men’s 400m hurdles, men’s and women’s long jump, men’s shot put, women’s discus, and women’s hammer throw.
Spelling out the rationale behind the lean selection, Alli underlined that the era of “jamboree” delegations is over.
“The era of going for big matches and championships with a large squad that will not serve Team Nigeria in the long or short term is over. That is part of the worry the Performance Board has been tasked to address by the NSC,” he announced.
Alli explained how the board approach is aiming at athletes with short-term medal aspirations along with longer-term potential. He stated that those top season performers and world-ranked athletes can reach event finals where “anything can happen.” Younger athletes, however, are being introduced to top-class competition as part of a thoughtful wager on Nigeria’s sporting future.
Referring back to his own working life, Alli recalled how his trip to the 1980 Moscow Olympics, even as an underdog as a teenager, helped suppress his stage fright and gain confidence in performing in front of huge crowds. That experience, he added, later resulted in his gold medal for the 1983 World University Games in Canada.
We are betting on athletes who can reach the finals of their events today, and young athletes who will be future medallists,” Alli said.
Captain of Nigeria’s team is world record holder Tobi Amusan, who has been in blazing form this season in the 100m hurdles for women. He is joined by Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (shot put), a consistent finalist with medal ambitions, Ese Brume (long jump), African record holder and Olympic medalist, and Ezekiel Nathaniel (400m hurdles), one of the nation’s rising stars.
The other members of the team are:
Samuel Ogazi (400m)
Kayinsola Ajayi (100m)
Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons (discus)
Prestina Ochonogor (long jump)
Obiageri Amaechi (discus)
Charles Godfred (long jump)
Rosemary Chukwuma (100m)
Oyesade Olatoye (hammer throw)
Israel S. Okon (100m)
Chidi Okezie (400m)
The World Athletics Championships in 2025 will be hosted in Tokyo, Japan, from September 13 through September 21, with Nigeria seeking a mix of veteran stars and emerging talents to post a good outing.
