World championships silver medalist, Ese Brume; Tokyo Olympics 100m finalist, Enoch Adegoke, Nigeria 200m record holder, Divine Oduduru, Nigeria and African Shot Put champion, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi are some of the big names confirmed to participate when the athletics event of the 21st National Sports Festival begins on Sunday at the Stephen Keshi stadium in Asaba.
Also expected to fight for the medals on offer at the Festival as well as the qualification times amd marks for the Budapest 2023 World Championships are reigning Commonwealth Games and African Discus throw champion, Chioma Onyekwere, Nigeria’s U20 100m record holder Tima Godbless as well as Oyesade Olatoye, the reigning Nigeria and African Hammer throw champion.
Adegoke, the reigning National Sports Festival will be seeking to become the first man in well over a decade to successfully defend the 100m gold he won at the 20th edition in Benin City, Edo state in 2021.
The 22 year old who made history as the first Nigerian man to run in the 100m final at the Olympics in 25 years will also be aiming to break the 10.13 seconds Festival record set by Tony Ogbeta in 1996 in Makurdi.
Adegoke will however have to contend with the returning Nigeria 200m record holder (19.73) and second fastest ever over the 100m (9.86), Divine Oduduru to achieve a historic feat.
While Adegoke is seeking his third medal in the blue ribband event after placing third at the 19th edition of the competition in 2018 in Abuja, Oduduru will be seeking his first.
In the women’s version, the athlete to beat will be reigning Nigeria U20 record holder, Godbless who scorched to an 11.09 finish at the World U20 Championships in August to set the new Nigeria mark and the second fastest ever by an U20 athlete in Africa.
With the confirmed absence of the trio of Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma and Grace Nzubechi Nwokocha, Godbless should have no problem in winning her first National Sports festival title after running 11.61 to place third at the 20th edition of the competition last year in Benin city.
World indoor and outdoor long jump silver medalist and reigning Commonwealth Games champion and record holder, Ese Brume will also be in action as she will be seeking to make to make it a hat-trick of long jump titles after winning in 2018 (6.62m) and 2021 (6.46m).
If she successfully defend her long jump title, it will be her fourth gold and fifth medal overall in three attempts.
She was in the Delta state’s 4x100m team that struck gold in 2021 and also won a silver medal in the triple jump.
Reigning Commonwealth Games champion, Onyekwere should be wary of her bossom friend, Obiageri Pamela Amaechi as she bids to add the National Sports Festival Discus throw title to the African and Commonwealth Games titles she won this year.
Amaechi who made history with Onyekwere as the first Nigerian female athletes to win medals at the Commonwealth Games stunned her friend at the Nigerian championships in June, barely two weeks after she played second fiddle at the African championships in Mauritius.
There should be little worries for Oyesade as she looks to be unstoppable in the women’s Hammer throw.
In the Shot Put, Enekwechi who will be competting for Delta state will be aiming for his third major title in 2022 after winning the the African and Nigerian titles in June.
In Rivers state’s Dotun Ogundeji, Enekwechi will be truly tested and knows going for the event’s gold will not be a stroll in the park.
The first event on Sunday is the 20km race walk final for men and women. The men and women’s 100m heats will also start on Sunday afternoon with the semifinals and finals on Monday December 5, 2022.
