¢ Well Prove Them Wrong, Athletes Vow

Team Nigeria athletes have vowed to prove World Athletics wrong in its assessment, which seems to have ruled Nigeria out of making the podium in the men and womens 100, 200m, 400, and the 4x100m, 4x400m and the mixed 4x400m relay events.

The world governing body for the sport of track and field, according SportsNow.com, began its preview of the athletics events of the Paris 2024 Olympics, which will start in August.

But some of the athletes, who spoke with The Guardian from the Olympics Games Village on Friday, vowed to go all out to prove WA assessment wrong. I am confident Nigeria will be in the podium here in Pairs. We have the athletes who can do it, the athlete said.

In the mens 100m, the Nigerian trio of Favour Ashe, Kanyinsola Ajayi and Godson Oghenebrume did not get any mention by World Athletics as the battle for the podium was limited to only a handful of athletes.

The athletes are led by the Jamaican newcomer, Kishane Thompson, who has worlds fastest time since 2022 at 9.77secs, the American, Noah Lyles, who is confident four Olympic titles which includes the 100m gold as well as the quartet of Kenny Bednarek (USA), Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) Akani Simbine (South Africa) and Kenyan, Ferdinand Omanyala, who is the second fastest man at 9.79secs going into the battle.

Ashe is the fastest Nigerian going into the competition with his 9.94secs performance but the 22-year old has only managed a 10.10 performance in the last two months .

There was no mention of Nigerias Udodi Onwuzurike, the 2021 World U20 champion, who broke 20 seconds in the event three times last year but has only managed a 20.13 return this season.

For the women, World Athletics seems to be confirming Nigerias wait for a first woman medalist will be extended by another four years after failing to list the Nigerian duo of Rosemary Chukwuma and Tima Godbless as contenders.

Godbless, with her 11.03secs lifetime best, achieved this year, may seem an unlikely candidate even for a place in the final but ignoring an athlete who has run 10.88 this year cannot be explained.

World Athletics feels, and rightly so too, that the trio of reigning world champion, SharCarri Richardson, who tops the world list at 10.71secs, Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia and the evergreen Jamaican, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pyrce will be the contenders in Paris.

In the 200m, reigning world champion, Shericka Jackson is projected to be among the athletes that will run as fast as making the podium with USAs Gabby Thomas who is going for her first individual global gold after making statement at the Diamond League meeting in London and Alfred who could complete a sprint double.

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