WA Championships: Brume, Usoro begin Team Nigeria’s medal quest

Athletics fans across Nigeria are turning their attention to the World Athletics Championships which starts today in the Hungarian capital Budapest, Saturday PUNCH reports.

At last year’s event in Oregon, Team Nigeria finished 13th with one gold and a silver and they will look to surpass that feat in Budapest.

Ese Brume one of Team Nigeria’s brightest medal hopeful has a golden opportunity to win the world long jump title following an injury to Olympic and world champion Malaika Mihambo and her steady improvement lately.

She won silver at the last edition in Oregon added to her bronzes from the Tokyo Olympics and the Doha World Championships in 2019.

If she can jump into history by claiming a world title that no African has ever won, she will emulate fellow long jumper Chioma Ajunwa, the winner of Nigeria’s first ever Olympic gold medal in 1996.

Speaking ahead of her fourth straight appearance in the championships since her debut in London in 2017, the 27-year-old said, “I am going to the championships to give my best. I won’t disappoint Nigerians, and I pray that God should give me the strength to achieve my goal in Budapest.”

Another Nigerian long jumper, Ruth Usoro, will also compete on the opening day, just as sprinters, Seye Ogunlewe, Ushoritse Itshekiri and Favour Ashe.

Three-time Nigerian and reigning African Shot-Put king, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, will also be on parade for medals on Saturday (today).

Enekwechi, who is making his third appearance at the Championships, will be looking forward to a podium finish, and also the history books, as the first Nigerian to do so in the Shot-Put event.

In Doha, Qatar 2019, Enekwechi made history as the first to make the final of the event, finishing eighth in the final classification and went home with a cash prize of $4,000. But at the last edition held in Oregon, he finished 11th.

Ranked 14th best so far this season, the 30-year-old Enekwechi knows he needs to break the 22m mark and become the 10th man to hit above that mark this season to stand a chance of winning a medal in Budapest.