By Victor Kanayo
World record sprint sensation Tobi Amusan and her compatriot Ese Brume are among five Nigerians eligible for the 2023 World Athletics Championships scheduled for August in Budapest, Hungary.
The 19th edition of the competition will also feature three other Nigerian athletes – Favour Ofili, Grace Nwokocha and Rosemary Chukwuma.
According to World Athletics body, the five individual athletes secured their qualification at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022, while Amusan automatically qualified as the reigning World 100m hurdles champion.
She could have also made the cut either through the entry standard or the wild card her Diamond League victory conferred on her.
Two of the five relay teams – the women’s 4x100m and the Mixed 4x400m also secured qualification to the championships, the flagship event of World Athletics.
They secured qualification following the cancellation of the 2023 World Relays in China due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three other Nigerian athletes – Oyesade Olatoye (Hammer Throw), Chioma Onyekwere (Discus) and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (Shot Put) also qualified provisionally for the Championships as area champions.
The trio won their respective events at the 22nd African Athletics Championships in Mauritius in June 2022.
