Nigeria’s 400m champion Chidi Okezie is gearing up for 2016 with good performances having won two races last weekend at the Last Chance Indoor Meet in Boston in the USA.
Okezie ran the fastest time in all heats of the 200m, taking Heat 1 in 21.02s to emerge tops, as Canada’s Mobolade Ajomale who was 2nd in the same heat with a time of 21.04s, finished overall 2nd. Brazil’s Rodrigo Rocha came through with the third fastest time of 21.05s.
However in the 400m, Okezie finished overall 2nd, winning Heat 2 where he clocked 46.48s, which qualifies him for the World Indoor Championships in Portland. Winner of Heat 1, Mike Berry won the 400m, finishing strongly in 46.09s to take the win and deny Okezie the chance of landing the double.
Not much has been heard of Okezie since he stunned the Nigerian Athletics world at the National Championships in Warri last year, coming from Lane 8 to beat the likes of Nathaniel Samson and Orukpe Erayokan.
Last year, Okezie missed the African Games despite making the cut, but having now qualified for the World Indoors, could we see him don the national colours for the first time?
