The Nigerian duo of Favour Ofili and Imaobong Nse Uko will this weekend run for global medals, as they go out on Friday and Saturday in search of podium spots at the ongoing World U-20 Athletics Championship in Nairobi, Kenya, megasportsarena.com reports.
First out will be Ofili, who will this Friday begin her quest for her first ever global individual gold medal when she files out in the fifth and final heat of the women’s 200m at Kasarani Stadium, where the 18-year-old Nigerian is expected to cruise into the semi-final from her first round heat.
Ofili holds a personal season’s best of 22.30 seconds in April, but the reigning African 200m indoor record holder (22.75s) is not favourite to win the under-20 gold, due to Namibian ace, Christine Mboma’s 21.81 that fetched her a surprise silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Ofili will have two Namibians to contend with as Beatrice Masilinga, who also made it to the half lap final in Tokyo, but finished sixth, is also in the 200m mix after winning silver in the 100m behind Jamaica’s Tina Clayton on Thursday.
A similar scenario is playing out for Uko, the world’s reigning fastest under-18 girl with 51.70s, as she lived up to expectation in Nairobi with 52.33 seconds to qualify for the 400m final on Saturday.
Uko, the youngest member of Nigeria’s mixed relay team that set a new African record at the Olympics, ran the fastest qualifying time in the semi-finals and looks on course to becoming the third Nigerian after Fatimah Yusuf (1990) and Bisi Afolabi (1994) to win the quartermile gold.
The 17-year-old Uko will run from lane six in the final, as she tries to emulate the gold winning feat of Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay team, who also ran the fastest time and a national record time of 3:21.66 in qualifying for the final.
In the 100m, the trio of Oghenebrume, Praise Ofokwu and Tima Godbless qualified for the semi-final, but Favour Ashe (11.00s) disappointed as he finished seventh to crash out of the blue ribband event.
In the women’s race, Ofoku ran 11.65 to win heat two of the first round while Godbless was second (11.59) in the third heat behind Namibia’s Beatrice Masilingi, who ran a new 11.20 national record to win.
