Nigeria’s track and field stars have once again asserted their dominance on the continental stage, delivering a masterclass in speed and precision on Day 1 of the 2026 African Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana.
Rosemary Chukwuma opened the doors for Team Nigeria with her win in the women’s 100m heat 2, with a flash time of 11.44s.
Chukwuma jugged through the finished line after giving her opponents an unreachable distance.
Chidera Ezeakor followed with an even faster time in the men’s 100m heat with a flash time of 10.38s, beating Ghana’s fastest man Abdul-Rasheed Saminu to the win.
Samson Nathaniel followed suit in the men’s 400m, crossing the line first and leaving Omuka Kenneth of Uganda and Musika Malongo of Kenya to settle for 2nd and third.
South Africa’s Marlie Viljeon finished first in the women’s 400m heat, but Nigeria’s Esther Okon’s second place finish was enough to qualify her to the second round.
In the hurdles, world record holder Tobi Amusan lived up to expectations as she clocked a season’s best of 12.82s to advance to the final on Wednesday. Amusan was the overall fastest in the two heats.
Ashe favor, who was earlier disqualified for false start, was granted a chance for solo run after Nigeria’s appeal. Favor clocked a time of 10.55s and qualified for the 100m Semi-final on Wednesday.
Nigeria also bagged two medals in the women’s Discus event. Divine Oladipo finished 2nd in the event, earning a Silver medal in her first outing for Nigeria. Obiageri Ameachi joined her on the podium, clinching the Bronze Medal.
The African Athletic Championships started on 12th May and will continue until May 17th, with Nigerian competing in various categories.
