Like all Olympic years, 2024 was a defining year for Nigerian athletes. From record-breaking performances to historic firsts, these athletes continued to put Nigeria firmly on the map of international sports and in this series, we will explore the standout moments and milestones that made 2024 a year to remember for Nigerian Athletics.
10. Edose Ibadin becoming the second ever Nigerian 800m runner at the Olympics
Edose Ibadin became the second Nigerian man to compete in a distance greater than 400m at an Olympic Games when he ran the men’s 800m in Paris. The last Nigerian to achieve this feat was Ado Maude, who also competed in the 800m at the Seoul 1988 Olympics. Ibadin’s qualification for the Olympics came when he set a new National Record (NR) of 1:44.65 in Washington DC in 2023.
9. Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi – first Nigerian to surpass 82m in the Javelin
In a single swipe at the African Games in Ghana, Nnamdi, in his season opener, became the first Nigerian man to surpass 82m in the Javelin, and also win the event since 1995. He threw a mark of 82.80m to break the National Record he already held.
Nnamdi produced a similar performance to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene and went on to make his Olympics debut at the Paris 2024 Games.
8. Nigerian representation in the women’s Discus Throw at the Olympics
Three women – Chioma Onyekwere, Ashley Anumba and Obiageri Amaechi – qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris, making it the first time that Nigeria was fully represented in the event at the quadrennial games.
The World Athletics qualification standard for the event was set at 64.50m, and with only 13 women meeting this mark, all three athletes secured their qualification through their positions on the World Athletics rankings. These rankings placed them among the top 32 athletes in the world eligible for the Paris Olympics.
Nigeria alongside Germany were the only countries that had three representatives in the event. The incredible trio had swept the podium at the African Athletics Championships in Cameroon with Anumba winning GOLD, and secured a 1-2-4 finish at the African Games which Amaechi won.
7. Olayinka Olajide winning a complete set of medals at the African Games
In what was a breakthrough season for her, Olayinka Olajide took the home circuit by storm when she ran a Personal Best (PB) of 11.19s to win the women’s 100m at the MTN CHAMPS/African Games Trials in Asaba.
At the Games in Accra, she stormed to Bronze – the first medal by a Nigerian woman over 100m at the African Games in 12 years! She also copped two other medals: a Silver at 200m and GOLD in the 4x100m, proving to be a vital asset on the Nigerian relay team for the season which ultimately got her selected for the Olympics in Paris.
6. Ella Onojuvwevwo running the fastest 400m by a Nigerian woman in 23 years
Ella Onojuvwevwo became the fastest Nigerian woman in the 400m in over two decades when she ran a PB of 50.57s in Florida, making her the fastest since National Record holder Falilat Ogunkoya clocked 50.50s in 2001. That performance immediately took her up to 5th on the Nigerian all-time list.
She surpassed the Olympic qualifying standard for the event pegged at 50.95s and took down the LSU School Record that has stood for 21 years. She finished the season as an Olympic semifinalist in Paris and World U-20 finalist.
