Nigeria’s rising track and field stars delivered a sensational performance at the Ivy League Conference Championships, with sprint dominance from Forehan Abinusawa and a historic throw from Jessica Oji.
Oji,18, produced a moment of continental history in the women’s shot put, launching a massive throw of 18.50 metres to claim gold and set new Nigerian and African records.
Her mark surpassed the previous African record of 18.48 metres set just a day earlier by Mine de Klerk, which itself had eclipsed the long-standing record held by Vivian Chukwuemeka.
Remarkably, Oji achieved the feat in only her third competition representing Nigeria, instantly establishing herself as the greatest female shot putter the continent has produced.
Forehan Abinusawa
Meanwhile, Abinusawa completed a stunning sprint double, storming to victory in the women’s 60m final with a blazing 7.25 seconds, comfortably ahead of Juliette Kosmont, who finished in 7.40 seconds.
She followed up with another commanding performance in the 200m, clocking a new personal best of 23.30 seconds to secure gold ahead of Alyssa Jackson, who ran 23.62 seconds.
Together, the two athletes delivered a memorable outing for Nigeria, underlining the country’s growing strength and depth in global athletics.