Nigeria’s 25-year Wait for World U-20 100m Gold Extended

Godson Oghenebrume’s bid to end Nigeria’s 25 year wait for a World Athletics U20 Championships gold medal failed yesterday on the track of Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, Kenya where the 18-year old stumbled out of the blocks and never found his ryhthm in a race he was joint favourite to win with Botswana’s Leslie Tebogo.

The Nigerian came to the championhips as the fastest man in the field (10.13s) and won both his first round and semifinal heats to set up a showdown with Tebogo who ran 10.11 seconds in the semifinal to set a new national record.

Oghenebrume’s 10.22 put him in good stead to make the podium in the final.

However, in the final, young Delta lad staggered out of the block in an awful start and failed to recover until finishing last (eighth) in 10.74 seconds.

Tebogo ran 10.19 seconds to win Botswana’s first ever global 100m title.

The last time Nigeria made it to podium in the event was 25 years ago when Francis Obikwelu made his history as the second man after Trinidad and Tobago’s Ato Boldon to win the 100 and 200m titles.

In the women’s final, Praise Ofoku also came up short and failed to end a 35-year wait for a gold medal.

Like Oghenebrume, Ofoku also had a bad start but recovered to finish fourth outside the podium in 11.53 secods, just two hundreth of a second outside Switzerland’s Melissa Gutschmidt who placed third (11.51s).

Jamaica’s pre-race favourite Tina Clayton ran a new 11.09 seconds personal best to win the gold with Tokyo Olympics 200m finalist, Namibia’s Beatrice Masilingi second (11.39s).

Meanwhile, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has sent words of encouragement to the duo of Praise Ofoku and Godson Oghenebrume.

Dare would rather pick some positives from both athletes’ outings, urging them not to drop their heads and shoulders.

“No body wants to lose in a final or fail to finish outside the podium especially after working and preparing so hard. I know Ofoku and Brume are so unhappy with themselves right now but I want them to know that I am proud of them,” the minister noted.