Israel Okon won his maiden 100m national crown at the 2025 Nigerian Athletics Championships in Lagos when he stormed to victory in 10.04s to cap an electrifying final that saw four athletes dip under 10.10s.
The 18-year-old edged out Alaba Akintola, who clocked 10.05s to settle for silver, while Adekalu Fakorede placed third in 10.07s.
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Former national champion Seye Ogunlewe narrowly missed the podium with a strong 10.09s finish.
Olaolu Olatunde (10.15s), James Emmanuel (10.16s), and Enoch Adegoke (10.20s) completed the final line-up in a race that underlined the growing depth of Nigerian sprinting talent.
Defending champion Kanyinsola Ajayi was a late withdrawal after he posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he would not be participating due to personal reasons.
Okon, who won the 200m national title in 2024, expressed his excitement at finally adding the blue-riband sprint title to his résumé.
“I feel excited and very happy right now. This is my first 100m national title, and I’ve been working hard for this,” he said with a smile.