The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has given former US hurdler Antwon Hicks, the go ahead to compete for Nigeria on the global stage.
Hicks became eligible to compete internationally for Nigeria from July 17, 2016, according to the latest correspondence by the Track and Field world governing body.
Incidentally, the 2002 World Junior Champion never competed for the US at senior level, but will now be in action for Nigeria at next month’s Olympic Games in Rio where he will race in the 110 Hurdles.
Hicks was one of the standout athletes at the Nigerian Trials in Sapele earlier this month, where he raced to a Season’s Best (SB) and National Record (NR) of 13.27s, erasing William Arese’s former mark of 13.42s set in 1993.
Hicks has a Personal Best (PB) of 13.09s set in 2008, but his SB puts him at No.15 in the 2016 World rankings. He will be Nigeria’s sole competitor in the event.
Texas A & M sprinter Jennifer Madu also became eligible to compete for Nigeria from July 17th, and will be making her debut at the Olympics as a member of Nigeria’s 4x100m women’s team where she will partner with the likes of Blessing Okagbare, Gloria Asumnu and Agnes Osazuwa.
Madu has been named a nominee for the 2016 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year award, and the winner of the prestigious award will be announced at the annual award ceremony in October.
