Favour Ofili scorched to the top of the 2023 World list with an amazing 200m African record run of 22.36 at the Tyson Invitational in Fayeteville, Arkansas on Saturday.
The Nigerian won the race in the final classification ahead of Thelma Davies (23.50) and Leah Phillips (23.67) in second and third respectively.
The 20 year old erased her old record of 22.46 to not only set a new lifetime best and African record, her time is also the fastest in the world so far this year, supplanting Irish-Nigerian, Rashidat Adeleke (22.52).
The Nigerian also jumped to the top of the Collegiate as the fastest in the half lap race this year and second in hsitory behind 2022 The Bowerman winner Abby Steiner.
If ratified by World Athletics, the time moves Ofili to number six in the world all-time list behind Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey (21.87), Abby Steiner of USA (22.09), Russia’s Irina Privalova ( 22.10), Germany’s Heike Dreschler (22.27) and Gwen Torrence of the USA (22.33).
Ofili is the first and only Nigerian woman to run inside 23 seconds in the race indoors and 22 seconds (21.96) outdoor. She owns the Nigerian record in the event indoors and out
