By Victor Kanayo
Nigeria’s sprint star, Tobi Amusan, has lost her top position in the latest ranking by the World Athletics (WA), few days after losing World Championship title in Budapest, Hungary.
Notably, Amusan, holder of existing World Record, lost number the one spot in the women’s hurdles event in Budapest to Puerto Rica’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.
In the ranking, the reigning Commonwealth Games gold medalist dropped from her 10th placement just before the World champion in Budapest to 24th position.
Analysts believed her recent performance would have been characterised by the suspension by Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Amusan’s compatriot and Olympic bronze medalist Ese Brume is now ranked 5th in the Women’s long jump event with 1326.
Brume improved from her 223rd placement before the Budapest championship to 142 best in the world overall ranking for women.
She was put behind her setback in the women’s long jump final at the 2023 World Championships to win bronze at the Xiamen Diamond League on Saturday September 2.
The 27-year-old Nigerian who won bronze in the 2019 edition of the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, and earned a silver medal in Oregon, US, in 2022, was Nigeria’s brightest hope for a medal in Budapest.
But that dream was cut short after Brume finished fourth in the final. Though, she recorded a season’s best jump of 6.84 meters, which was not enough to give Nigeria a medal.
Rosemary Chukwuma has emerged the highest ranked Nigerian in the women’s 100m (58) with Tima Godbless (99) the other Nigerian sprinter in the top 100m of the event.
In the 200m, Favour Ofili, once ranked the 14th best in the event has now improved to 32nd after dropping to 35th before the championships.
Reigning Nigeria men’s 100m champion, Ushoritse Ishekiri is the number one ranked man in the event (41st), followed by Godson Oghenebrume (44th), Seye Ogunlewe (42nd), Favour Ashe (54th) and Udodi Onwuzurike (60th).
