Top stars hit Asaba for AFN Trials

Sprint hurdler Tobiloba Amusan and sprinter Raymond Ekevwo have arrived Nigeria for the 2022 Nigeria Athletics Championships scheduled to hold between June 24 and 26.

Amusan improved her African 100m hurdles record (12.42) by 0.02 to 12.41 on her way to winning the event at the Diamond League meeting in Paris, France on Saturday.

The 25-year-old will be bidding to defend her Nigerian 100m hurdles title and pick the event’s ticket to represent Nigeria at both the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

Amusan will also be seeking to break the 12.63 seconds Nigeria Championships record set by Angela Atede in Lagos in 1997.

Meanwhile, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) President Tonobok Okowa said Amusan’s African record setting run in the 100m hurdles at the Diamond League meeting in Paris has given Nigeria hope of challenging for a first ever gold medal at next month’s World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

The reigning Commonwealth Games champion, fourth at the Olympics last year in Tokyo and at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar in 2019 looks capable of claiming her first global medal in Oregon as well as retain the Commonwealth title she won in 2018.

“Congratulations to Tobi who has continued to deliver for Nigeria at the top level of track and field in the world,” said Okowa.”Nigeria’s national anthem is yet to be sung at the flagship event of World Athletics, the World Championships but Tobi looks ready to join Ese Brume, our sprinters and the relay teams in the bid to get Nigeria to the podium as world champion.”