By Monica Iheakam
It will be a battle between compatriots when Nigerian track and field athletes file out for their various schools at the concluding part of the 2023 National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Outdoor track and field championship starting today in Texas.
18 Nigerian athletes studying in the USA will be competing for honors when the collegiate event gets underway at the Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field in Austin, Texas.
Udodi Onwuzuruike (Stanford University), Favour Ashe (University of Tennessee), Godson Brume (LSU), Alaba Akintola (Middle Tennessee University) and Karlington Anuagba (University of North Texas) will set the tracks on fire in the 100 meters men’s event while Onwuzuruike and Akintola will race against each other again in the 200m.
Not left out in the Texas action is Nathaniel Ezekiel (Baylor University) racing in the men’s 400m hurdles, University of Texas San Antonio’s Bashiru Abdullahi competition in the 110m hurdles with Chinecherem Prosper (Baylor University) gunning for glory in the Javelin.
Rosemary Chukwuma (Texas Tech) and Favour Ofili (Louisiana University) will battle other collegiate stars in the women’s 100m and 200m respectively but will go head to head against compatriots, Imaobong Nse Uko (Baylor University), Adaobi Tabugbo, also of Brigham Young University and Amarachi Obi (University of Arizona) in the 4x100m.
Dubem Amene will run for University of Michigan in the 400m, Texas Tech Sophomore Onaara Obamuwagun and University of Virginia record holder Ashley Anumba will participate in the Triple jump and Discuss events respectively.