Favour Ashe opens outdoor season with wind-aided 10.11, Alaba Akintola runs 10.27s

University of Tenneessee freshman Favour Ashe battled the rain and was pushed by an excessive tail wind to win the 100m event (10.11) at the Tenneesse Relays held at the Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium, University of Tenneessee.

The time would have been a personal best for the 19 year old if not for the excessive 2.9m/s tail win. He still holds a 10.17s best in the blue ribbabd event.

At the same event but in a different race, Edo National Sports Festival 200m champion, Alaba Akintola successfully completed a sprint double by winning the 100m (10.27w) and 200m (21,04w).

In the women’s high jump, Esther Isa leapt a distance of 1.71m to place third while little known Nigerian, Benjamin Onyekwelu set a new outdoor personal-best mark with 7.53m in the men’s long jump.

At the 44 Farms Team Invitational at Bryan – College Station, Texas, reigning World U20 400m champion Imaobong Nse Uko ran a new 23.47s personal best to win the 200m event.

She also betterred Yoveinny Mota’s 23.51s meet record set almost a year ago and retained her third position in the Nigerian top list for the season behind Praise Idamaudu who ran 23.43 at the start of the month and and the duo of Tima Seikeseye Godbless and Patience Knowledge Omovoh who both ran 23.46s last month.

Meanwhile all eyes will be on Favour Ofili at the Joe May Invitational Saturday at Bernie Moore Track Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she will be attempting to become the 10th Nigerian woman to break 11.10 seconds in the 100m.

Last weekend at the same ground she scorched to a new 11.11s personal best to place second behind USA’s Aleia Hobbs.

She will be facing the Hobbs hurdle once again as well as University of Kentucky’s Abby Steiner (11.10s) who denied her the chance to win the 60m gold at last month’s NCAA Indoor Championships.

Ofili will be running from lane four with Hobbs just outside her in lane five and Steiner further off in lane seven.