In the past three seasons, Nigerian Athletics has witnessed a remarkable surge in performance, with many believing that the Golden Era is on the horizon, reminiscent of the country’s past glory. Looking at how the 2024 season unfolded, there are several long-standing Nigerian Records that may not make it through 2025. Let’s take a closer look at five Track and Field records that could be broken this year.
5. Men’s High Jump Outdoor Record (2.27m)
Anthony Idiata is widely regarded as the greatest Nigerian high jumper in history, holding both the indoor and outdoor records in the event. However, it’s possible that one of his records—the latter one—could be broken this season. At the 2024 National Trials, Best Erhire achieved a leap of 2.25m, the second-highest jump ever recorded by a Nigerian, just 2cm shy of Anthony Idiata’s record set in 1998. Erhire even attempted 2.28m, though unsuccessful. While Erhire may appear to be favoured to break the record, there are two other athletes who could challenge him, depending on their performances this season: Goodluck Fiaku (2.18m) and Justine Jimoh (2.17m). With the competition heating up, it will be exciting to see who claims the record in the coming months.
4. Men’s Long Jump Outdoor Record (8.27m)
The Nigerian men’s long jump scene is set for an exciting triple-threat rivalry that could potentially break Yussuf Alli’s iconic long jump record, which has stood since 1989. During last year’s National Trials, three athletes—Charles Godfrey, Goodness Iredia and Emmanuel Njoku – each jumped over 8.00metres for the first time in the event’s history. While Njoku and Iredia are certainly contenders, based on last season’s performances, Godfrey appears to be the favourite to claim the record. The Minnesota freshman surpassed 8.10m four times—8.14m, 8.19w, 8.12m and 8.16m, further strengthening his position.
3. Men’s 400m Indoor Record (45.51s)
In the quest for Nigeria’s first-ever GOLD at the World Indoor Championships, Sunday Bada set an African and Nigerian Record of 45.51s to win the title in 1997, a record that has stood for nearly 30 years. Last season, the 400m Hurdles National Record holder Ezekiel Nathaniel came close to breaking the record at the Clemson Tiger Invitational, blazing to a fiery 45.54s, and is expected to make another attempt this season. However, with Ogazi competing indoors this season following a ground-breaking outdoor performance last season, it will likely be a race to see who gets the first chance to break the record.
2. Men’s 60m Indoor Record (6.48s)
One of the most elusive National Records to break in nearly three decades is the men’s 60m Indoor Record, currently held by Deji Aliu. Set in 1999, the athlete who has come the closest to smashing this record is Favour Ashe who set a resounding Personal Best of 6.51s in 2022. Incidentally, Aliu coached Ashe before the latter secured a track and field scholarship and moved to the US. The race to break this record has been an intense one this season, and there seems to be a few faces who could threaten the status quo. Currently leading the pack are Joshua Caleb, Kayinsola Ajayi and Consider Ekanem who have all clocked 6.57s respectively in 2025.
1. Men’s 400m Outdoor Record (44.17s)
Set in 1987, Innocent Egbunike’s men’s 400m outdoor record remains the second oldest Nigerian track record. However, with the current strength of Nigerian male quartermilers, particularly Samuel Ogazi, that record could soon be in jeopardy. Ogazi has made remarkable progress over the past 12 months, improving from a 45.91s to a 44.41s, which secured him a spot in the 400m Olympic final. Another strong contender is Chidi Okezie, who made history at the African Games by becoming the first Nigerian since Egbunike to win the 400m title. Okezie has also shown significant improvement, dropping from 45.60s to 44.97s. It will be fascinating to see who breaks the record first.
