It was a day of brilliance and breakthroughs for Nigerian athletes at the NCAA East Prelims in Florida, where an impressive lineup of sprinters and middle-distance runners made powerful statements with personal bests and world-leading performances.
Leading the charge was Ramat Jimoh, who clocked a new personal best of 2:03.45 to win her 800m heat, securing a place in the quarterfinals. Her time not only improved on her own Nigerian-leading performance this season but also held off tight competition from Norway’s Nora Haugen (2:03.48) and Kenya’s Judy Kosgei (2:03.59).
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In the 400m event, Nigeria made an even bolder statement, with six women qualifying for the quarterfinals—a display of depth and determination.
Onyah Favour smashed her personal best with a 51.93s run, marking a remarkable 1.5-second improvement from her earlier times this year. Opeyemi Deborah Oke also advanced with a time of 52.22s, finishing third in her heat.
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Ella Onojuvwevwo comfortably topped her heat in 51.25s, ranking as the third-fastest across all heats. Her dominance continues to build momentum as the championship season intensifies. Meanwhile, Esther Elo Joseph posted 51.76s to take second in her heat, and Joy Nwokike stormed to a massive PB of 52.39s to join the advancing squad. Osarentin Usenbor also made the cut, running 52.67s.
The excitement didn’t stop there. The women’s 100m heats produced fireworks. Rising star Tima Godbless delivered the performance of the day—running a scorching 10.91s (1.2). Not only did she smash her personal best, but her time also stands as the fastest in the world this year, making her the 4th fastest Nigerian woman ever, behind only Blessing Okagbare, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Glory Alozie.
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Joining the 100m quarterfinal party is Elo Blessing Okpah, who ran a PB of 11.19s, and Precious Nzeakor, who also clocked a PB of 11.24s. Fore Abinusawa advanced after running 11.34s, while Faith Okwose narrowly missed out with 11.38s.
In the 100m hurdles, the UCF pair of Adaobi Tabugbo and Ese Awusa made Nigeria proud. Tabugbo won her heat in 13.09s, despite running into a -1.8m/s headwind. Awusa, showing great form, posted a PB of 13.18s to place third in her heat and secure a place in the quarterfinals.
