By Victor Kanayo
Lagos State will be agog between August 1 and 3, 2025, when this year’s National Athletics Championship takes place.
The competition, which will also serve as the national trials for the World Athletics Championships holding in Tokyo, Japan, comes up in September.
AFN’s Not-ready Posture
Heritage Times HT reports that the event had witnessed hiccups following the inability of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to settle for its venue up to a few days to kick-off.
According to the AFN, the trials will also be used to pick members of Team Nigeria to the CAA Region 2 Senior Athletics Championships in Accra in August, as well as the Islamic Games later in 2025.
Top Expected Athletes
So, a host of top athletes home and abroad have been invited for the trials, and they have been fine-tuning their race and jump plans in order to meet the World Athletics standard set for the Championships.
Among them are world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles event, Tobi Amusan, and Olympic Games bronze medallist Ese Brume, who will be jumping alongside 2025 Africa U-20 Championships gold medallist Prestina Ochonogor.
In Abeokuta during the U18/U20 discovery, Ochonogor jumped 6.71m, however, she will need to leap longer to beat Brume in the field.
Rising sprint sensation Tima Godbless and several foreign-based athletes will also compete for a place in Team Nigeria’s roster to the Far East.
Shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, 400m hurdler Nathaniel Ezekiel, and sprinter Udodi Onwuzurike are among those expected to light up the trials in the men’s event in a bid to seal spots on Team Nigeria’s roster.
