Nigerian athletes showcased their prowess once again at the ongoing 2023 African Games in Ghana, with four sprinters securing their spots in the 100m finals on Monday.
In the first men’s 100m semi-final, Ekanem demonstrated his determination, crossing the finish line in 10.37 seconds to secure his spot in the final alongside Ghana’s Aggerh Barnabas, who clocked 10.42 seconds as reported by Premium Times.
The third semi-final was intense, with multiple callbacks before Usheoritse Itsekiri was declared the winner. Itsekiri showcased remarkable composure, clocking an impressive 10.29 seconds despite a headwind of -2.1 m/s, automatically qualifying for the final.
Host Ghana also had two runners qualify for the 100m men’s final. Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme led the pack with the fastest time of 10.23 seconds.
In the women’s 100m, Nigerian athletes Olajide Olayinka and Justina Eyakpobeyan secured their spots in the final. Olayinka surged past Congo’s Natacha Akamabi in the final 20 meters, while Eyakpobeyan dominated her heat, crossing the line in 11.61 seconds.
Beyond the 100m, Nigerian athletes excelled in other track events. Wisdom Musa advanced to the men’s 110m hurdles final with a time of 14.35 seconds.
Esther Elo Joseph stole the spotlight in the women’s 400m, setting a personal best of 51.81 seconds, the fastest time across all heats. Esther Okon also qualified for the women’s 400m semi-finals with a time of 53.17 seconds.
In the men’s 400m, Chidi Okezie led the pack with a relaxed season-opening time of 45.89 seconds, followed by Dubem Nwachukwu (46.29 seconds) and Sikiru Adeyemi (46.72 seconds) into the semi-finals.
Team Nigeria athletes have sent a strong message at the 2023 African Games and Tuesday’s finals promise to be exciting, with Nigerians expected to challenge for gold medals across multiple events.
