Raymond Ekevwo (PHOTO CREDIT: Making of Champs)
Even though Team Nigeria will be without some of its in-form athletes at the 22nd African Athletics Championship starting Wednesday in Mauritius, the country still has a strong roster of athletes flying the country’s flag.
Leading the quest for medals are the reigning African Games 100m and 100m hurdles champions, Raymond Ekevwo and Tobiloba Amusan.
The duo who arrived earlier in Mauritius even before the contingent from Nigeria touched down are among the strong favourites for honours in the continental meet.
Amusan and Ekevwo arrived Saturday after competing at the Irena Szewinska Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Gold Tour meet in Poland where they finished second and third respectively in their events.
Ekevwo will be hoping to add the African Championship title to the African Games gold he won three years ago in Morocco.
If he succeeds in doing this, he will return Nigeria to the top of the podium 12 long years after Olusoji Fasuba won in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The 23-year-old who ran 9.96s to win the African Games gold in 2019 will also be hoping to run faster and break compatriot, Seun Ogunkoya’s 9.94s Championship record set in Dakar, Senegal in 1998.
Amusan on her part will be looking to successfully defend the title she won four years ago at the 21st edition of the championship in Asaba, Delta state in Nigeria.
The sprint hurdler will also be aiming at the 12.77s championship record set by compatriot, Glory Alozie in Dakar, Senegal in 1998.
If she succeeds in this laudable drive, the 24-year-old would have broken three of the four records held by Alozie.
In 2019 Amusan ran 12.68s to break Alozie’s African Games record and last year, she also dismantled the 12.44s African record her illustrious predecessor set in 1998 when she ran 12.42s to win the sprint hurdles title at the Diamond League final.
Meanwhile, the home-based contingent that departed Nigeria for Mauritius on Monday has now touched down ahead of Wednesday’s opening day of action.
The championship is serving as preparations for both the World Athletics Championship in Oregon, USA next month and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham which will also begin towards the end of next month.
Nigeria won a total of 20 medals made up of nine gold, five silver and six bronze medals to finish third in the medal table behind Kenya and South Africa at the 21st edition held in Asaba, Delta.
The country, however, tops the all-time medal table with a total of 368 medals made up of 155 gold, 122 silver and 91 bronze medals.
Meanwhile, according to the Local Organising Committee for the Athletics Championships in Mauritius, due to COVID-19 protocols, fans will not be allowed into the competition venue.
Until now, Mauritius had previously hosted two editions of the African Championships in 1992 and 2006.
The championship in Mauritius is the first since Asaba, Delta State hosted the 2018 edition.
Following the cancellation of the last edition, which was set to be held in Oran, Algeria, the Mauritian Athletics Association bid to host the 22nd edition and the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) granted their request.
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Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini
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