Nigeria 200m indoor (22.46) and outdoor (21.96) record holder Favour Ofili has been ranked 10th best in the women’s 200m event in 2022 by the influential United Kingdom-based Athletics Weekly Magazine.
The magazine through its international panel of athletics experts/statisticians including Peter Mathews, editor of International Association of Track and Field Statisticians statistics book and world renowned statistician Mirko Jalava ( world number one statistics website, Tilastopaja) picked Ofili as the 10th best in the half lap event based on her times in 2022, positions in major events and win-loss records against fellow competitors.
The 20 year old set a new Nigeria indoor record of 22.46 and outdoor best of 21.96 in the course of the year. Both times are unprecedented in the history of the event in Nigerian as no sprinter has broken 23 seconds indoors and 22 seconds outdoor.
Ofili’s top five 200m times in 2022 are 21.96, 22.04, 22.05, 22.08, 22.13, 22.21 with the third (22.05) fetching her the silver medal at the 2022 NCAA Div 1 outdoor championships in Alabama in June.
Jamaica’s reigning World champion Shericka Jackson tops the list. She ran the three fastest and five of the top ten times of the year, topped by her World Championships win in 21.45, second best ever.
Other Nigerian athletes who made Athletics Weekly’s top 10 ranking include Tobi Amusan, the reigning world champion in the 100m hurdles who autmatically ranks as number one, and Ese Brume, the long jumper who finished second in the event at the World Championships but ranked third by the magazine.
