Nigerian athletes make bright start to outdoor season

Nigerian athletes have made an impressive start to the outdoor season, recording wins, personal bests, and a national record across sprints, jumps, and throws, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

On Friday, javelin thrower Chinecherem Nnamdi produced a remarkable performance at the Tom Jones Memorial in Florida, winning the men’s javelin event with a massive personal best of 84.68m. In doing so, he shattered his own national record by nearly two metres, despite having a short 2025 season. The mark also moves him up to seventh on the African all-time list.

NCAA indoor champion Kanyinsola Ajayi continued his fine form from the indoor season, sprinting to a wind-assisted 9.90s (2.9 m/s) to win the men’s 100m invitational race at the same meet on Saturday. He led an Auburn and Nigerian 1-2 finish, with Israel Okon placing second in 9.95s, while Minnesota’s Jaiden Reid finished third in 10.01s.

In the jumps, Temitope Adeshina maintained her impressive run in the women’s high jump, clearing 1.95m (6-4¾) to claim victory at the Mt. SAC Relays held at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, California, on Saturday. Her clearance ranks as the third-best mark in Texas Tech history and currently stands as the top mark in the NCAA this season.

The three-time Nigerian national champion, who holds a personal best and national record of 1.97m, remains unbeaten this season and is in pursuit of her first outdoor title.

Meanwhile, World Championships finalist Ezekiel Nathaniel opened his 2026 campaign at the Tom Jones Memorial, clocking 45.47s to finish fourth in his 400m heat. This was his first individual race since placing fourth in the dramatic 400m hurdles final at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. The race was won by World Indoor champion Christopher Morales-Williams, who posted a world-leading time of 44.30s.

In the women’s 400m, Chioma Nwachukwu also impressed, running a new personal best of 51.24s to begin her outdoor season. Her performance places her second on Nigeria’s 2026 top list, making her one of four Nigerian women to have run under 52 seconds this year.