Team Nigeria kicked off their campaign at the 2024 World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru, with a standout performance from Pristina Ochonogor, who secured a spot in the women’s long jump final. Ochonogor, 18, recorded an impressive leap of 6.28 meters on Tuesday, placing her second in Qualification Group A and second overall among 25 competitors.
Ochonogor, who holds a personal best of 6.79 meters, will aim to clinch a medal in the final scheduled for Wednesday evening. Her strong showing in the qualifying round has raised hopes for Nigeria’s success in the event.
In contrast, Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay team faced disappointment as they failed to advance to the final. The team, comprising Oseiwe Salami, Odot Udo, Gafari Badmus, and Favour Onyah, recorded a season-best time of three minutes 25.59 seconds, finishing third in their heat. However, this was not enough to secure a place in the final, as they missed out on both the automatic qualification spots and the fastest losers’ tickets.
In the women’s 100m event, Justina Eyakpobeyan advanced to the final after clocking 11.56 seconds in the semi-finals, improving on her earlier time of 11.61 seconds from the opening round. Unfortunately, her teammate Chioma Nweke did not progress, finishing sixth in her heat with a time of 12.24 seconds.
The men’s 100m saw further setbacks for Team Nigeria, with Chidera Ezeakor finishing seventh in his heat with a time of 10.92 seconds, thus failing to advance.
As the championships continue, Nigeria’s hopes rest on athletes like Ochonogor and Eyakpobeyan to deliver strong performances and secure medals for the country.