by Deji Ogeyingbo
This is Deji Ogeyingbo’s second column on the Nigerian Athletics Champs. This is day 2 of 3. Photos and story by Deji Ogeyingbo, our man in Nigeria.
Favor Ashe races to the Nigerian Track and Field 100m Championship in a new Personal Best of 9.99s as Tobi Amusan sets a new national record to win the women’s 100mH
NIGERIA, Benin— University of Tennessee freshman, Favour Ashe was the star attraction on Day two of the Nigerian Championships as he stormed to a new Personal Best time of 9.99s to win the men’s 100m, while newly-minted African Record holder in the women’s 100m Hurdles, Tobi Amusan breezed to a new Championship record of 12.54s to retain her title.
Ashe, the NCAA Division 1 Silver medalist over the 100m, went into the championships as one of the favorites over the event alongside Middle Tennessee’s Alaba Akintola after they both clocked the fastest times in the semis.
And they both delivered a performance for the ages inside the main bowl of the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in front of thousands of fans watching and millions all over the world keenly glued to the race.
Running side by side in lane 5 and 6, Akintola seemed to have gotten the better of the start, and he held his form all through the drive phase. However, with Ashe up on his trail, he began to get speed past his compatriot, one whom he defeated in the semis at the NCAA finals, holding his nerve to coast home to victory.
The win ensures he becomes the 12th man in Nigerian history to run inside 10s, with Enoch Adegoke the last man to achieve that feat at the Tokyo Olympics. His 9.99s seconds also meant that he became only the second Nigerian to run a sub-10s on home soil after his former coach, Deji Aliu ran 9.95s at the African Games in 2003.
Alaba Akintola came through for second in 10.07s while Godson Brume was third in 10.15s.
In the women’s hurdles final, Amusan was a class apart from the rest off the field as she won the title in a new national record of 12.54s, while North Carolina A & T track star, Grace Nwokocha delivered a gutsy performance to win the women’s 100m title with 11.03s.
