NIGERIAN athletes posted good outings in athletics in North America over the weekend, with Favour Ofili and Udodi Onwuzuruike dominating in the United States, while Usheoritse Itsekiri won a race in Canada.
Ofili won the women’s 200m at the SEC Indoor Championships with a time of 22.52 seconds, the Commonwealth Games medallist clearly ahead of the field.
McKenzie Long, who won the preceding heat, finished a distant second in 22.67s.
Onwuzurike clocked a new personal best of 6.59 seconds to win the men’s 60m at the indoor Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite last night, breaking his own Stanford University school record.
The 20-year-old World Athletics U-20 Championships 200m gold medallist in 2021 has joined three other Nigerian men in running the 60m in under 6.6 seconds this year.
The others are Favour Ashe (6.52s), Godson Brume (6.58s) and Alaba Akintola (6.59s).
Also last night, Itsekiri won the men’s 60m final at the Canada West Track & Field Championships in Saskatchewan.
The 25-year-old 2019 African Games 200m medallist coasted home in first place in a time of 6.65s, beating his teammate Storm Zablocki who came second in 6.76s.
Dubem Amene also won the Big-10 men’s 400m title with a new personal best of 46.41s in Geneva, Ohio.
He improved his PB from Friday night and finished ahead of Ohio State’s Antonio Hanson (46.68s) and Zidane Brown (46.85s).
