Nkem Ezealah was one of Nigeria’s most outstanding and talented sprinters on the home front, and left an indelible mark in the sport, notwithstanding the short time she spent on the track.

The sprinter was involved in a car crash on Tuesday, March 15, along Benin-Ore road while on her way to the village in the South Eastern part of the country along with her mum; they both died in the accident which claimed several lives.

Nkem Ezeala

Unknown to many, Ezealah’s first love was Football, and her talent saw her compete for Nigeria at the 2010 ‘Football for Hope’ Festival, an official programme of the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa where she stunned many with her skills.

Her foray into Athletics began at the Yaba College of Technology where she was a student at the time. The trials for the Tertiary Games was taking place at her school, and the diminutive sprinter decided to challenge herself by joining the athletes who were about to compete in the 100m.

Nkem Ezeala, Coaches Olu Sule & Uruemu Adu
Nkem Ezeala, Coaches Olu Sule & Uruemu Adu

Despite her lack of experience, Ezealah ended up winning the race, much to the delight of her fellow students who knew her as a footballer. Athletics coach Adu Uruemu who was at the event, began to groom her and she thereafter became a pivotal member of Esteem Track Athletics Club, which she belonged to until her demise.

She narrowly missed making the team for the African Games after picking an injury during the semis of the 100m at the National Trials in Warri.

Nkem Ezeala & Coach Uruemu Adu
Nkem Ezeala & Coach Adu Uruemu

Ezealah became a force to reckon with in the women’s 100m and had an impressive 2015 season where she made it to the Top 3 of all her races at the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Golden League, including winning the Abuja leg of the competition where she posted a Personal Best (PB) of 11.61s.

Ezealah attended the Benin auditions of Making of Champions’ ‘Top Sprinter Genesis’ where she won her race without much ado. During her interview session, she identified Jamaica’s reigning Olympic and World champion in the women’s 100m, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as her role model in the sport.

Nkem Ezeala modelling a Top Sprinter speedsuit
Nkem Ezeala modelling a Top Sprinter speedsuit

She said, “My favourite sprinter is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Before I was told that because of my height, I won’t be able to make it in Athletics. People said I have to be tall and muscular but I said no, it’s not all about that. When I saw her picture, I saw that her height is similar to mine.

Nkem Ezeala with fellow athletes modelling a Making of Champs speedsuit
Nkem Ezeala with fellow athletes modelling a Making of Champs speedsuit

“My coach said “look at Shelly-Ann; she’s like you, so who is telling you that you can’t do it? You can, you just have to work hard and use your body to your advantage.” I’m small and have a good start, so when I get out of the blocks, before I know it, the race has ended.”

Ezealah was a member of Nigeria’s GOLD-winning 4x100m team at the 2013 African Junior Championships in Mauritius; she finished 5th in the 100m. She made her international debut at senior level at the IAAF Challenge Meeting in Dakar, Senegal where she placed 3rd in the 100m (11.54/+2.1).

Nkem Ezeala feature photo

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Yemi Galadima is a Senior Sportswriter and Editor at Making of Champions. She has a bias for Athletics and was previously a Sports Reporter at the National Mirror, where she hosted a weekly column ‘On the Track with Yemi Olus’ for over two years. A self-acclaimed ‘athletics junkie’, she has covered national and international events live, such as the African Athletics Championships, African Games, Olympics and World Athletics Championships. She also freelances for World Athletics.

1 COMMENT

  1. Why are you isolating throwers from athletics news? That’s very bad of you! We also want to read about our performances on net, and people will also know about us too!

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