Nigerian sprint sensation Consider Ekanem made up for getting disqualified in the 100m with the 200m title at the Nigerian trials Asaba.
Consider Ekanem extended his winning streak to the semis and final of the 200m, running a fast 20.63s to book his spot in the final and then crossing the line in 20.60s to win his first title.
After being disqualified in the MTNCHAMPS/AFN National Trials 100m final, the win is a big consolation.
Men’s 100m Champion Israel Okon Sunday also continued his form, running yet another Personal Best (PB) of 20.87 in the semis to win his race, then settling for Silver with 20.95, and Daje Lucky Oritseweyinmi took the Bronze in 21.26s.
Consider Ekanem Turns On the Heat In The Heats
The heats of the men’s and women’s 200m commenced on Day 2, and Consider Ekanem channeled
the disappointment of his 100m disqualification by going out hard to run a new PB of 20.43s (+1.1) –
the overall fastest time across all heats.
Ekanem’s time becomes the third fastest time clocked by a Nigerian man on home soil after
Uchenna Emedolu recorded impressive times of 20.38s and 20.42s, respectively, en route to his GOLD-
winning feat at the 2003 African Games in Abuja.
The last time a Nigerian athlete ran a 20.4 at home was when Divine Oduduru posted 20.47s at the
AFN Golden League in Sapele in 2016. Tega Odele had posted an identical time the previous year to
win the National Championships in Warri.
100m World Lead in the First Month of The Year
Earlier, Ekanem introduced himself with a 10.10s in the the men’s 100m at the inaugural Dynamic Outdoor Meet held on Saturday, January 27 at the Nigerian Navy Sports Centre, Ojo, Lagos.
10.10s was recognized by World Athletics as the world lead until Taymir Burnet ran a 10.09 to drop him into the second-fastest time of 2024.
When ratified, Ekanem’s 10.16 in the MTNCHAMPS/AFN National Trials heats will still rank in the top 10 world lead for World Athletics.