As part of our yearly review of Nigerian athletes and their performances both domestically and internationally, we take a look at the best athletes that competed in 2023 in this two-part feature, the women’s list being a mashup of seasoned and emerging talents!
12. JUSTINA TIANA EYAKPOBEYAN (100m, 200m)
Season highlights:
Commonwealth Youth Games 100m Silver
African U-18 100m Silver & 200m Bronze
National U-18 100m Champion
There are a few things Justina Eyakpobeyan is known for; a fashion sense for days, a substantial presence on social media, and above all, her explosive start off the blocks. This remarkable speed has even led to comparisons with the all-time great, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
She announced herself as one to watch out for when at the start of the 2023 season, she stormed to a PB of 11.35s to emerge Nigerian U-18 100m Champion. Her subsequent performance at the African U-18 Championships in Ndola, Zambia, earned her two medals – a Silver in the 100m and a Bronze in the 200m. Additionally, she clinched a Silver medal at the National Championships, further solidifying her promising presence on the Nigerian circuit.
The Commonwealth Youth Games was next and while racing in her 100m semifinal heat, she powered to an equal PB of 11.35s, breaking the Championship Record and then went one better in the final, running 11.29s to win a Silver medal.
Beautiful as the year may have been, it wasn’t all smooth as she had some ankle niggle mid-season and is currently dealing with the loss of her father. Speaking on how her season went, she said: “Last season was absolutely incredible. I feel so grateful, honoured and blessed by all the accomplishments. I was able to accomplish all that I did with a lot of dedication, hard work, patience and support from my amazing coach and teammates.”
After such a great season, she of course got offers from the crème de la crème of the NCAA and announced her top offers to be from LSU, Texas, USC and FSU, while she shelved off teeming offers from other schools such as Alabama, Texas Tech, Auburn and Texas A&M.
With the commencement of the new season and an announcement just around the corner, Eyakpobeyan is grateful for the exposure she gained in 2023 and is using that as motivation to push herself to new heights. She hopes to be on the Paris 2024 Nigerian Olympic team!
11. TEMITOPE ADESHINA (High Jump)
Season highlights:
National High Jump Champion
Temitope Adeshina made patience her buzzword. With her life, career and progression, she has been patient, and when she finally hit the jackpot in 2023, rising over a massive PB of 1.94m in the High Jump, she was immensely grateful.
She won every competition she entered in 2023 and was crowned National Champion for the second consecutive time. She secured a scholarship with Texas Tech and is really happy about competing in the NCAA for the first time. “They have a lot of facilities and this year’s indoor competition will be my first indoors ever, so I’m looking forward to that,” she said.
Her transition has also been smooth and she hasn’t found it hard to adjust. “The people in Texas Tech make things easy for me. Trust me, they are nice people,” she said.
In 2024 Adeshina took the NCAA by storm, shattering the Nigerian High Jump National Record set by Doreen Amata since 2008 with a stunning 1.96m clearance at the Corky Classic in Texas, which was a World Lead, NCAA Lead and School Record in only her second meet in the NCAA.
10. TIMA GODBLESS (100m, 200m)
Season highlights:
African U-20 100m Gold
African U-20 200m Gold
Tima Godbless has had her highs and lows since she first emerged at the 2019 National Youth Games, but there is no denying the wealth of talent she has, one that we saw carry her to a new Nigerian U-20 100m Record of 11.09s at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Cali.
Poised for greatness, she participated, albeit twice, in 2023. Her first appearance was at the African U-20 Championships in Zambia where she emerged a standout performer by securing GOLD in both the women’s 100m and 200m events. Notably, she clocked impressive times of 11.43s and 23.28s, marking an exceptional start to her season. The sole other instance she graced the track was at the National Championships in Benin, adorned in a complete LSU kit. Unfortunately, her season took an unexpected turn as she suffered an injury, compelling her to be stretchered off the track.
Prior to this, Godbless had earned a scholarship to advance her career at LSU, having received offers from prominent institutions such as Tennessee, Texas Tech, Baylor, MTSU, and Mississippi State. However, her arrival in the U.S. was delayed until late in the season.
In well-spoken manner, she spoke of her decision, saying “LSU Athletics produces outstanding performers on the playing field, in the classroom and in life. They consistently win and go on to achieve great things both in and out of athletics. That’s mostly the reason why I chose LSU.”
On the challenges she encountered over the past year, particularly grappling with injuries, she expressed, “It’s a challenging and personal journey, demanding a blend of physical and mental resilience. Each individual’s experience is distinct.” Godbless acknowledged that it proved demanding at times, necessitating a positive mindset, the backing of friends and family, and even seeking professional counselling.
Overall, she is grateful for the experience, how well she has adapted to staying in the US, with the cultural differences, different weather and even new foods.
9. FAITH OKWOSE (100m, 200m)
Season highlights:
Commonwealth Youth Games 100m & 200m Champion
African U-18 100m & 200m Champion
National 200m Champion
Phenomenal is one way to describe the kind of season Faith Okwose had in 2023 and as she put it, it was one that was in the books already before it happened, based on the amount of devotion she poured into preparation. In her exact words,” I started sport with nothing, so I can’t leave with nothing.”
A native of Delta State, she had a mini breakthrough at the 2022 National Sports Festival (NSF), one where she almost outclassed experienced 100m and 200m fields, copping Silver medals on both occasions. After such a great outing, one would have thought it was time for her to rest and regroup for the new season, but she didn’t let up. Okwose didn’t want to lose form and with the NSF happening so late in the year, she just continued with training.
However, the stakes were now higher. She was no longer the athlete who struggled to break 12 seconds over 100m at the start of the season. She was now arguably one of the fastest women based in Nigeria and in response to this newfound status, she started training twice a day!
Her unwavering dedication paid off as she raked in several medals in the course of the 2024 season. She surprised herself by becoming the National 200m Champion, and then the African U-18 Champion in the 100m and 200m, setting Championship Records in both events. This achievement remarkable as it was, was mirrored at the Commonwealth Youth Games, sprinting to a big 100m Personal Best (PB) of 11.26s that doubled as a National U-18 Record.
These brilliant performances piqued the interest of the best US Colleges, getting scholarship offers from LSU, USC, USF, Alabama, Southern Mississippi, Tulane University and lots more. She decided to move ahead with Alabama from the sea of offers, saying “I chose Alabama because they have a good facility and a school sprinting coach that understands me well. I believe attending the University of Alabama will significantly contribute to the improvement of my sports career.”
In a manner reminiscent of successful professional athletes, Okwose spoke with great enthusiasm about her dreams. She exuded confidence in her ability to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and when asked about her additional goals for the season, she expressed her ambition to compete in the Lima World U-20 Championships as well.
8. IMAOBONG NSE UKO (400m)
Season highlights:
Nigerian 400m Champion
Big-12 Indoor 400m Bronze
Big-12 Indoor 4x400m Champion
NCAA Outdoor 4x100m & 4x400m finalist
A well-known name in the new-age Nigerian Track and Field, Imaobong Nse Uko held down the fort for the country in the women’s 400m in 2023. When she came into limelight, she did as a quarter-miler only, but her stay at Baylor University where she is currently in her third year, saw her dabble into the short sprints as well, almost breaking 23 seconds over 200m.
As it is supposed to be a sprint with a ton of endurance, she built up nicely into the season and did excel in her main event, the 400m, running a PB of 52.19s to finish 3rd at the Big-12 Indoor Championships in Lubbock which moved her to 6th on the Nigerian all-time list indoors. Uko carried this form outdoors, running 51.66s within her first two races and then making the finals at the NCAA West Regionals with a better time of 51.51s. She played a pivotal role on the Baylor women’s 4x100m and 4x400m teams, bringing them both to the finals at the NCAA Championships.
Surprisingly, Uko who had been the fastest Nigerian 400m runner for 3 straight years, had actually never won a Nigerian Senior title in the 400m before 2023 and after a long dredge of the collegiate season, she showed up at the Nigerian Championships, raring to go. Easily, she made the final of the event and saw off the challenge from athletes like Queen Usunobun and Ella Onojuvwevwo to emerge national champion.
To close the year, she competed at the World Championships in Budapest, running in the 400m heats, women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m.
7. ROSEMARY CHUKWUMA (100m, 200m)
Season highlights:
Big-12 Indoor 60m Silver
Big-12 Indoor 200m Bronze
NCAA Outdoor 100m finalist
She might have had a low-key season by her standards, but without a doubt, Rosemary Chukwuma was by far the best Nigerian female 100m sprinter in 2023 and she further cemented her place as one of the finest sprinters to ever come out of Texas Tech University.
She didn’t race much indoors, but she set a School Record (SR) in the 60m, clocking a time of 7.09s on her home-front in Lubbock and then went ahead to win a Silver at the Big-12 Championships. Over 200m, she became only the second African woman ever to break 23 seconds indoors as she posted a time of 22.68s, also doubling as an SR and won a conference championship Bronze to go with it.
Despite a few niggles in the course of the season, Chukwuma who has had some tough luck with the wind since she got to the US, ran a marginally windy 10.85s over 100m outdoors. Her best performance of the outdoor season was at the NCAA Championships where she posted a Season’s Best (SB) of 11.01s to qualify for women’s 100m final, just two-hundredths of a second off her Personal Best (PB) from 2022.
With a time of 11.03s, she placed 6th in one of the highest quality finals in NCAA history and closed the year by making the semifinals of the women’s 100m at the World Championships in Budapest.
