Ash, Onwuzurike and other sprinters aim to repeat historic feat in 2023
With the outdoor track and field season in full swing, the Nigerian trio of Faber Ash, Udodi Onwuzurike and Godson Oghenebloom made history last year when three Nigerian sprinters broke 10 seconds at this track. would be eager to recreate it. in the 100 meter race.
The previous best time for a Nigerian was set in 1992 by Davidson Ezinwa (9.96 seconds) and Olopade Adeniken (9.97 seconds), the only two athletes to run under 10 seconds in a single season. The two also won in 1994 with scores of 9.94 and 9.95, respectively.
This feat was achieved in 2003 by Deji Aliu (9.95 points) and Uchenna Emedolu (9.97 points), while Divine Oduduru (9.86 points) and Raymond Ekebwo (9.96 points) reached that level in 2019.
All eyes are now on this trio as they compete for honor and aim to match their own records. Ash, the 2022 Nigerian 100m champion, has already begun his quest to run within the mark twice in the 100m this year, surpassing his record in 2022 and 2023, when he only legally ran under 10 seconds once each. Ta.
The Auburn University undergraduate will aim to extend his personal record of running under 10 seconds twice this season in hopes of making it to the Olympic 100m final.
The 21-year-old will also look to beat the duo of Ogenbloom and Onwuzurike, who have drawn head-to-head since making a name for themselves nationally and in college in 2022.
According to sportsNow.com, Ashe is tied 5-5 in the head-to-head matchup with Ogenbloom, with the Louisiana State University undergraduate winning the previous two meetings last year.
They also have a 1-1 draw with Onwuzurike, who won last season's NCAA Division 1 final and will avenge his defeat at the 2022 Nigeria Championship.
Ogenebloom has yet to break 10 seconds this year after legally breaking 10 seconds twice last year. Not only did he run a lifetime best of 9.90 seconds to win the 100m silver medal at the NCAA Divisional Finals, but he also went down in history as the third fastest Nigerian of all time. However, he has broken 10.20 seconds twice this year, Olusoji Fasuba (9.85) and Oduduru (9.86).
Onwuzurike has yet to compete in the 100m event, but his 20.13 time at the Pure Athletics Elite Invitational in Clermont, Fla., last weekend confirmed his intentions for the 200m. It sounded the alarm.
Onwuzurike, who, like Oghenebloom, is the 2021 World U20 200m champion, ran legally under 10 seconds last season and ran a lifetime best of 9.92 seconds, moving him into a tie for fourth place on Nigeria's all-time list with Seun Ogunkoya. Ta.
Onwuzurike has played second fiddle to Oghenebloom in three head-to-head matches since 2022, and the Stanford graduate will be keen to close the gap while focusing on his first run at the Paris Olympics.
Track and field observers say the trio was the lead in Nigeria's 4x100m team of Olusoji Fasuba, Uchenna Emedolu, Aaron Egbele and Deji Aliu, who finished third in Athens, Greece in 2004. He is expected to help Nigeria win the men's 4x100m medal for the third time.
Source: guardian.ng