After an exciting look at some of Nigeria’s outstanding Female Sprinters in Part 1 of this series, we now turn to the highlights of our Top 5 Nigerian Female Sprinters of the year 2024, each of whom has hit significant milestones and redefined expectations for the coming year.
5. Esther Elo Joseph
Esther Elo Joseph has quickly become a name Nigerians celebrate, thanks to her breathtaking performances on the track. In just one season, she shattered expectations and rewrote her story, kick-starting her 2024 campaign at the Dynamic Athletics Meet in Lagos, blazing through the 400m in 53.01s – a new Personal Best (PB). She moved on to the MTN CHAMPS/AFN National Trials where she dominated the 400m, winning the final with an electrifying lifetime best 52.00s.
In March, her momentum carried her to the African Games, where she set PBs in every round of the 400m, securing a Silver medal in the final with a stunning 51.61s in her debut for Nigeria. The cherry on top? She anchored Nigeria’s 4x400m relay team to GOLD. At the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas, Elo alongside Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo and Chidi Okezie, helped Nigeria’s mixed 4x400m relay team break the African Record with 3:12.87, clinching Olympic qualification in the process.
Back home, Esther owned the track. She went undefeated for the rest of the season, taking the CAA Region II 400m title in Ghana and earning her first national title in the 400 meters at the National Olympic Trials in Benin, clocking 51.70s – a massive leap from her 6th-place finish the previous year.
The African Championships in Douala, Cameroon, added more medals to her collection as she snatched Bronze in the 400m with a 51.94s finish and helped Nigeria secure another GOLD in the women’s 4x400m relay. Elo made her Olympics debut in Paris and ended 2024 as the country’s highest-ranked female athlete in the 400m, and her rise is nothing short of phenomenal.
4. Rosemary Chukwuma
In the last few years, Rosemary Chukwuma has been a force to reckon with in Nigerian sprinting, and 2024 cemented her status as one of the country’s brightest stars. She began her outdoor season with a strong showing at the Tom Jones Invitational where she clocked a Season’s Best (SB) of 11.26s in the 100 meters, marking a promising start to her season.
She continued to excel in collegiate competitions, securing the women’s 100m title at the Big 12 Championships in May with an improved SB of 11.12s. A few days later whilst racing in the final of the NCAA West First Rounds, Chukwuma sailed to victory with a stunning 10.88s, making her the second fastest Nigerian, just behind Blessing Okagbare, in the women’s 100m.
In June, the Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist competed at the NCAA Championships, where she claimed Bronze in the women’s 100m final with a wind-aided time of 10.90s. This performance marked her sixth-fastest time under all conditions.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Chukwuma represented Nigeria in the 100m and advanced to the semifinals after placing 3rd in her heat with a time of 11.01s. Her Personal Best (PB) of 10.88s places her as one of the Top 10 fastest women in the world for 2024.
3. Ella Onojuvuwevwo
Ella Onojuvwevwo lit up the track in 2024, solidifying her spot as Nigeria’s fastest female 400m runner in 2024. The quartermiler had a busy indoor season and progressed outdoors. Whilst racing at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in April, she clocked a Personal Best (PB) of 51.32s, her form quickly taking off.
By May, Ella hit her stride. At the SEC Outdoor Championships, she blazed through the 400m in a stunning 50.57s to qualify for the Paris Olympics.. This performance placed her as the fastest Nigerian woman since Falilat Ogunkoya’s legendary 50.50s in 2001 and made her the first Nigerian woman since 2015 to break the 51s barrier.
Her momentum carried her to The Bahamas for the World Relays, where she helped Nigeria’s mixed 4×400m team set a new National and African Record of 3:12.87, locking in their ticket to Paris 2024. She went on to compete at the NCAA Championships, finishing 6th in the 400m final with a time of 50.72s. Later that month, she shone at the African Championships in Douala, Cameroon as a member of the GOLD-winning 4x400m quartet and added a Silver to the mix in the mixed 4×400m relay.
Her Olympic debut in Paris marked another milestone. She was a member of the quartet that helped set a new NR of 3:11.99 in the mixed 4x400m relay. Although she initially missed advancing to the 400m semis, she roared back in the repechage round with a dominant 50.59s run, securing a spot in the semifinals. Capping off her remarkable season, Onojuvwevwo competed in the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, where she made the final and finished in 5th place.
2. Tobi Amusan
Tobi Amusan is a true record-breaker, redefining excellence with every race. The World Record (WR) holder kicked off her 2024 season in style, delivering a stunning performance at the World Athletics Indoor Tour in Astana. In her season’s debut, Amusan rewrote Nigerian history once again, breaking Glory Alozie’s previous National and African Record of 7.82s in the 60m hurdles set in Madrid in 1999 and replacing it with an impressive 7.77s.
The following month, she further lowered the record to 7.75s while competing at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, cementing her status as one of the world’s best athletes in the event. Amusan showed up at her third consecutive African Games and retained her title, the third in a row, crossing the line in 12.89s and anchoring the women’s 4x100m team to GOLD.
In May, she sailed to a World Lead (WL) and Season’s Best (SB) of 12.40s at the Jamaican Invitational and defended her National crown with a time of 12.78s in June. Amusan showed up at the African Championships in Douala, Cameroon, where she anchored the women’s 4x100m to GOLD and in the build up to the Olympics, clocked 12.49s at the Holloway Classic.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Amusan set her sights on her first Olympic medal. Although she didn’t make it to the final, finishing 3rd in her semifinal in 12.55s, the World Record holder continues to inspire, proving that setbacks are just setups for bigger comebacks.
1. Favour Ofili
Taking the No.1 spot on our list of Nigeria’s Top 10 Female Sprinters in 2024 is Favour Ofili whose performances showcased her resilience and consistency in spite of a challenging season. Competing at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in February, the African Indoor record holder over 200m clocked 35.99s in the 300m, breaking Amantle Montsho’s 14-year-old African Record of 36.33s.
Whilst making her debut at the Adidas City Games in Atlanta, Ofili broke the 150m African Record in her first time over the event with a spectacular time of 16.30s, which puts her joint second with Candace Hill and the late Tori Bowie on the all-time list.
In April, the Nigerian 200m record holder ran a scintillating time of 10.78s (2.2) over 100m at the LSU Invitational, an all-conditions Personal Best (PB) but narrowly missing out on claiming Blessing Okagbare’s National Record of 10.79s due to the excessive wind, whilst finishing 2nd by 0.002s behind Aleia Hobbs who was awarded the same time.
Ofili played an instrumental role in Nigeria qualifying for the Paris Olympics in the women’s 4x100m having partnered with Olayinka Olajide, Justina Eyakpobeyan and Tima Godbless to win their heat in 42.71s at the World Relays in The Bahamas.
In June, Ofili competed at the Nigerian Olympic Trials in Benin and secured her maiden national title in the women’s 100m, clocking 11.06s, which automatically qualified her for the Paris Olympics in the event.
Her not being registered for the 100m in Paris disrupted Ofili’s participation at the Olympics. Nevertheless, she overcame the disappointment to compete in the 200m where she posted a Season’s Best (SB) of 22.24s in the heats and improved her SB to 22.05s in the semis, finishing 2nd to secure an automatic spot in the final, thereby becoming the first Nigerian woman since Mary Onyali in 1996, to qualify for the women’s 200m final at Olympics.
In the final, Ofili finished a commendable 6th position – a performance that underlines her potential to keep rewriting history.
