Nigerian participants continued their remarkable display at the African Games, with four sprinters securing spots in the 100m finals line-up on Monday. Ekanem in the first men’s 100m semi-final was businesslike in his approach; storming to victory in 10.37 seconds to secure his spot in the final alongside Ghanaian runner Aggerh Barnabas (10.42 seconds). The third semi-final was a tense affair, requiring multiple callbacks before Usheoritse Itsekiri was declared the winner. Itsekiri displayed remarkable composure, clocking an impressive 10.29 seconds with a headwind of -2.1 m/s to automatically qualify for the final.
Like Nigeria, host Ghana also had two runners qualify for the 100m men’s final. Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme with 10.23 seconds had the fastest time going into Tuesday’s final. Camara Ebrahima (Gambia), Gilbert Hainuca (Namibia), and Bibi Gary Noa Jereel (Mauritius) are also in for the men’s final. The women’s 100m also saw Nigerian success, with Olajide Olayinka and Justina Eyakpobeyan booking their spots in the final. Olayinka displayed a powerful finishing kick, surging past Congo’s Natacha Akamabi in the final 20 meters to secure her place. Eyakpobeyan, meanwhile, dominated her heat from start to finish, crossing the line in a time of 11.61 seconds. Beyond the 100m, Nigeria continued to shine brightly in other track events. Wisdom Musa secured a spot in the men’s 110m hurdles final with a time of 14.35 seconds. In the women’s 400m, Esther Elo Joseph stole the show. She awed in her race, setting a personal best (PB) of 51.81 seconds, the fastest time across all five heats.
