Nigerian discus thrower, Obiageri Amaechi, has officially secured qualification for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after surpassing the automatic entry mark in the women’s discus event.
Competing at the Oklahoma Throws Series in Ramona, the 26-year-old delivered the best throw of her career with a distance of 64.80m, earning first place in the competition.
The impressive mark not only set a new personal record, improving her previous best by nearly two metres, but also cleared the World Athletics qualifying standard of 64.50m.
Amaechi’s path to Tokyo had been uncertain before this breakthrough. Initially, she was set to qualify through the global rankings, where she occupied the 29th spot among 36 eligible athletes.
However, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria adopted a tougher selection rule, permitting only athletes ranked within the world’s top 20 to compete if they had not already met the automatic entry requirement. This policy had temporarily pushed her out of contention.
Also Read: http://Flying Eagles Begin Final World Cup Prep in Abuja
Her decisive performance in Oklahoma changed that narrative. The 64.80m throw not only confirmed her place at the World Championships but also moved her up to second on Africa’s all-time discus list, just behind Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons, who still holds the continental record at 64.96m.
Amaechi, born and raised in the United States but competing for Nigeria since 2022, has built an impressive track record in recent years. She captured the African Games gold medal in 2023, won bronze at both the 2022 Commonwealth Games and African Championships, and represented Nigeria at the 2024 Olympic Games.
