Known as a sprint nation in athletics, Nigeria is rising steadily in multiple field events, throwing up experienced and young athletes to make it a track and field nation.
The 2024 Paris Olympics provided a glimpse into the future of Nigerian Athletics in the Field events.
In throws, Long, and high jump, Nigeria had athletes reaching the final or setting record appearances and there are more at home waiting for their turn according to coach Soetan who believes Nigeria is more of a jump(field events) nation than Track.
“I’ve always known Nigerians are top jumpers and hurdlers. We are not sprint nation yet. We are emerging sprint nation. But when it comes to jobs, see what Chioma Ajunwa, Ajayi Agbebaku did in 1987, first global medal we ever won. We focus too much on relay team effort, whereas we leave the area we can succeed.”
Paris 2024 is the first time Nigeria has every throws event covered in Athletics at the Olympics.
Track and Field Nation: Throwers Arise
- Discus: Chioma Onyekwere, Obi Amaechi, Ashley Anumba
- Shotput: Chuk Enekwechi.
- Hammer: Sade Olatoye.
- Javelin : Nnamdi (Zaza) Chinecherem.
- Coach: Gabe Opuana
Led by the irrepressible Chukwuebuka Enekwechi in shot-put, the field event presented a finalist with the trio of Chioma Onyekwere, Obi Amaechi, and Ashley Anumba falling short at the qualifiers in Discus.
Best Erhire and Temitope Adesina flying in High Jump
Earlier, Best Erhire scaled the best height in his career to win the men’s High Jump national title.
Best went over 2.25m at his first attempt, jumping a new Lifetime’s Best to win the High Jump.
Outrightly, Erhire is number 2 in the Nigerian all-time High Jump list, strengthening his place with a new Lifetime’s Best.
Also, Erhire improved on his former PB, jumping 2.25m, the first in his career to win his second National title. He attempted 2.28m but missed all three attempts.
The Business Management student at Texas Tech University, Ehire will aim to surpass Anthony Idiata’s National Record of 2.32m.
Elsewhere, with only a year in the collegiate system, Temitope Adeshina has set records and made marks marking the end of her college season made the podium, and was in Paris for the Olympic games.
Temitope Adeshina is the second Nigerian woman after Doreen Amata to compete in the high-jump event at the Olympics.
Nigeria’s Golden Trio In Women’s Long Jump
For so long, Ese Brume has been the golden girl of Nigerian jumps since the exit of Blessing Okagbare.
Olympic medallist and Commonwealth champion won’t carry the burden alone with a new duo joining her.
At the 2024 Olympics, three Nigerian jumpers made the Olympic Long Jump event final.
Prestina Ochonogor and Ruth Usoro qualified for the final before finishing 8th and 12th respectively.
- Prestina Ochonogor breaking Ese Brume’s Area U20 Long Jump record.
- Best Erhire jumping 2.25 meters at National Champs.
- 3 Long Jumpers going 8 meters at National Champs.
- Teenage High Jumpers going 2.18m & 2.17m.
Current state of the jumps in Nigeria.
The last time Nigeria had more than one athlete in an Athletics Olympic final was in Atlanta, 1996 where Falilat Ogunkoya and Fatimat Yusuf both made the women’s 400m final.
Track and Field Nation: Nigerian Men Can Jump Too
Goodness Iredia won Nigeria’s first men’s long jump medal in 14 years after jumping 7.75m in the African Games final.
The mark was just 3cm short of the 7.78m jump by South Africa’s Lionel Coetzee who won the gold medal.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Njoku, his compatriot, finished fourth in the event with a 7.72m jump.
Furthermore, Iredia’s medal is the first won by a Nigerian man since 2010 when Stanley Gbagbeke won a bronze medal in Nairobi, Kenya.
“it’s not just the women, we now have men who could jump, so they can expect anything from long jump men or women, they expecting anything from high jump even the 2.25 are the national championship from here. Our best high jumper who is schoolling in US, 2.25. Those are good jumps that can deliver medals when the chips are down. They can move to 2.30. They can jump. But we are not looking in that direction.” Coach Soetan
Nigeria dominated the long jump event in the early years of the Championships, winning eight of the first nine editions.
Nigerian jumpers recorded a clean sweep of medals at the inaugural edition in 1979 through Ajayi Agbebaku, Kayode Elegbede, and Joseph Kio and in 1984 by Paul Emordi, Yusuf Alli, and Joseph Kio.