Three Nigerian sprinters Favour Ofili, Kanyinsola Ajayi, and Tima Godbless have qualified for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, set for August, Theportcitynews reports.
Favour Ofili (Women’s 200m)
At the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, Ofili clocked 22.34 seconds to finish second in the women’s 200m, behind Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred (21.88s). This performance secured her qualification for Tokyo. The LSU sprinter, who ran a personal best of 21.96s in 2022—making her the first Nigerian woman under 22 seconds—ended 2024 with a season’s best of 22.05s. After reaching the 200m semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ofili is poised for another global stage.
Kanyinsola Ajayi (Men’s 100m)
Ajayi made history in Gainesville by breaking the 10-second barrier, winning the men’s 100m in a personal best of 9.96s. He becomes the 11th Nigerian man to achieve a sub-10 time and the first Nigerian male sprinter to qualify for the 2025 Championships in the 100m. Last month, Ajayi equaled the 60m national record (6.48s), previously set by Deji Aliu in 1999, and achieved his sub-10 feat just over a month later.
Tima Godbless (Women’s 200m)
Godbless, a 20-year-old LSU sophomore, earned her Tokyo qualification with a personal best of 22.55s (-0.3 m/s) in the women’s 200m invite, meeting the 22.57 standard. The next day, despite a -2.4 m/s headwind, she ran 11.14s in the 100m. She joins Ofili as the second Nigerian woman qualified for the 200m in 2025.
Other Notable Performances
Israel Okon: The Auburn standout ran a personal best of 10.07s, finishing sixth in themen’s 100m. Earlier this year, he set an African U-20 60m record (6.51s).
Adekalu Fakorede: Previously leading Nigeria’s 100m rankings with 10.11s, he placed 19th with 10.39s.
Udodi Onwuzurike: The former World U-20 champion took second in the men’s 200m with 20.50s, behind Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh (20.07s).
With these breakthroughs, Nigerian athletics is gaining momentum for a promising showing at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
