Amusan leads Nigeria’s best athletes to National Trials starting on Friday

The best Nigerian athletes at home and abroad will begin their quest to seal their places for the World Athletics Championships with the Trials starting in Lagos on Friday.

The three day National Trials has been set by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to select athletes who will represent Nigeria at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan in September.

The Trials will also be used to pick members of Team Nigeria to the CAA Region 2 Senior Athletics Championships in Accra in August as well as the Islamic Games later in the year.

A host of top athletes home and abroad have been invited for the trials and they have been fine-tuning their race and jump plans since their arrivals.

All eyes will be on World Record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles event, Tobi Amusan and Olympic Games bronze medallist Ese Brune who will be jumping alongside 2025 Africa U20 Championships gold medallist Prestina Ochonogor.

In Abeokuta, Prestina jumped 6.71m but she will need to leap longer to beat Ese Brune in the field.

Rising sprint sensation Tima Godbless, and several foreign-based athletes will also compete for a place in Team Nigeria’s roster to the far east.

Shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, 400m hurdler Nathaniel Ezekiel, and sprinter Udodi Onwuzurike are among those expected to light up the trials in the men’s event in a bid to seal a spots on Team Nigeria roster to Tokyo, Japan in September.

Pristina Ochonogor

 Long Jumper: “The National Trials must be dealt with to secure a place in the Team Nigeria. It won’t be easy, the harder it is, the easier for Qualification.”

National 400m hurdle record holder Ezekiel Nathaniel

“Every competition is a war… it’s either you conquer or you are defeated, it comes in various ways…I wish all of us an injury free Competition.”

Athletes who have already qualified for the World Championships, either through entry standards or their World Athletics ranking include:

●Tima Godbless

● Rosemary Chukwuma

●Kelly Ufodiama

●Ella Onojuvwevwo

●Temitope Adeshina

● Ese Brume

● Favour Ofili