The 2023 athletics season is already looking good on the horizon, with some breathtaking performances from some of the Nigerian superstars.
This weekend at Oklahoma Throws Series in Ramona, Chioma Onyekwere delivered a stunning performance in the women’s discus throw, achieving a massive personal best (PB) of 64.96m.
Aside from winning the event with her massive throw, Onyekwere also broke the 16-year-old African record set by South Africa’s Elizna Naudé with her massive winning throw.
It is equally heartwarming to note that Onyekwere met and surpassed the World Championship qualification standard with her latest feat even though she already has a wildcard to Budapest with her status as an African champion.
Onyekwere’s trajectory this season has been consistently upward, her opening throw two weeks ago measured 55.88m, and her subsequent improvement to 60.79m last weekend.
Her new PB surpasses her previous mark of 63.30m by more than a meter and a half.
Having enjoyed the best of outings in 2022, where she won gold at the African Championships in Mauritius and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games; becoming the first Nigerian woman in history to do so, there is optimism that 2023 will be even better for the America-based athlete who is also an engineer.
Elsewhere, Tobiloba Amusan competed in her first 100m hurdles race of 2023 at the Tom Jones Invitational in Florida also at the weekend.
She secured a second-place finish with a time of 12.59 seconds.
Nia Ali narrowly won the race with a 12.53s performance.
Amusan began her journey by winning her heat in 12.74s, outpacing Devynne Charlton, who later claimed third place in the final with a time of 12.64s.
Amusan as back on the track just hours later to set a new personal best in the women’s 100m sprint, clocking an impressive 11.10s. (Premium Times).
