2023 Commonwealth Youth Games: Okwose sets new lifetime best and Games record to win 100m title

–Eyakpobeyan plays second fiddle again with an 11.29 personal best

Like she did at the African U18 championships in Ndola in May, Faith Okwose is the new Commonwealth Youth Games 100m champion.

The 17 year old scorched to an 11.26 finish to beat Justina Eyakpobeyan who also ran a new, 11.29 lifetime best to win the silver medal for a repat of what happened at the African U18 championships.

Interestingly, Okwose, who picked the 100m and 200m silver medals behind Tima Godbless at the National Sports Festival last December in Asaba, Delta state, and Eyakpobeyan are in Team Nigeria’s contingent to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary later this month.

Okwose has now moved to joint 26th in the Nigerian all-time list with Patience Knowledge Omovoh and looks like the next big thing in Nigerian track and field.

In the men’s 100m final, Okon Isreal Sunday failed to race to the podium as he finihsed fourth in 10.58.

Meanhwile, the duo of Ogazi Samuel Uchenna and Olanrewaju Olawole Erioluwa will run in the final of the 400m on Tuesday after making the cut in the semifinals.

Ogazi, the home-based sensation ran 48.17 to win his semifinal heat while Olanrewaju ran 48.73 to finish second in his semifinal heat and qualify for the final as one of the four non-automatic qualifiers.

Ogazi will not only be targetting the gold, the 17 year old will also be looking to break the 45.83 Games record set in 2015 by Sibanda Karabo of Botswana.

Nigeria has now won two gold medals and a silver on the opening day of the Games to move to eight on the medals table.

Okwose and Agbo Destiny Nkemakonam (Women’s Discus Throw – F42-44 / F61-64) won the gold medals while Eyakpobeyan picked the silver.