Favour Ofili and Ezekiel Nathaniel will lead Nigeria’s contingent at the inaugural Lone Star Grand Prix in Texas on Saturday as four athletes represent the country at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting.
Rosemary Chukwuma and Ella Onojuvwevwo complete the Nigerian line-up for the event, which forms part of the inaugural USATF Tour and is one of only two World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meetings scheduled to be held in the United States this season.
Ofili, the women’s 150m world record holder, heads into the competition seeking another strong performance against elite opposition in the women’s 200m.
The Nigerian sprinter will line up against reigning Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, Olympic 400m fourth-place finisher Rhasidat Adeleke, world and Olympic finalist Deajah Stevens and Cambrea Sturgis, who has already clocked 21.93 seconds this season.
The field also includes American high school sensation Mariah Maxwell and World Championships relay gold medallists Jenna Prandini and Kayla White.
Chukwuma has been entered in the women’s 100m, where she faces another high-quality field.
The Nigerian, who owns a personal best of 10.95 seconds and has also recorded a wind-assisted 10.81 this year, will compete against 2023 world 4x100m relay champion Tamari Davis and Jamaica’s world 4x100m silver medallist Jodean Williams.
In the women’s 400m, Onojuvwevwo will attempt to build on her impressive form after setting an African indoor record of 50.28 earlier this year and opening her outdoor campaign with a 49.59 performance.
She will face Jamaica’s Stacey Ann Williams as well as American athletes Britton Wilson and Bailey Lear.
Nathaniel, the African record holder in the 400m hurdles, is set to make his seasonal debut in the event against a field featuring some of the world’s leading hurdlers.
Among his rivals are world finalist Caleb Dean, who has already run 47.75 this season, and 2022 world bronze medallist Trevor Bassitt, who owns a season’s best of 47.82.
The meeting will also feature several global sprint stars, including Jamaican Oblique Seville in the men’s 100m.
The race is expected to include 2021 Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse, 2016 world indoor champion Trayvon Bromell, 2023 world bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes and American sprinter Ronnie Baker.
The Lone Star Grand Prix serves as another major test for Nigerian athletes as they continue preparations for the rest of the international season against some of the world’s best competitors.
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