Nigeria’s pursuit of a successor for sprinter Favour Ofili appears to be bearing fruit.
After years of being in the shadow of her training partner and close friend, Favour Ofili, sprinter Rosemary Chukwuma showcased an impressive performance at the Battle of the Bayou meet held in Louisiana, United States, over the weekend.
Chukwuma surged to a wind-assisted time of 10.81 seconds (+3.1m/s) to secure victory in the women’s Olympic Development 100m event.
The 10.81 seconds (3.1) marks Chukwuma’s fastest all-conditions time throughout her career. She outperformed her training partner, Ofili, who finished with a time of 10.93 seconds, tying for second place with Canada’s Audrey Leduc, who recorded the same time.
Another Nigerian sprinter, Success Umukoro, clocked in at 11.36 seconds, placing eighth in the event.
It is worth noting that in June 2025, Ofili triumphed over Chukwuma in the 100m final at the ATX Sprint Classic in Georgetown, Texas, with Ofili achieving a time of 10.78 seconds.
Chukwuma finished fifth at that event, recording a time of 10.98 seconds.
Prior to that, in June 2022, both Ofili and Chukwuma competed at the NCAA championships, where Chukwuma finished ahead of Ofili.
Ofili has since changed her nationality to Turkey; however, both the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) assert that the athlete remains a Nigerian until after the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Some stakeholders believe that even if Ofili chooses to remain with Turkey, with adequate motivation and training, athletes like Rosemary Chukwuma can rise to the occasion in Los Angeles.
Additionally, over the weekend, Tima Godbless made her return to individual competition for the first time since 2025, finishing ninth overall in the collegiate women’s 100m with a time of 11.37 seconds.
Other Nigerian competitors in the race included Victory Godah (13th, 11.53), Precious Nzeakor (22nd, 11.64), and Adetutu Aladeloye (24th, 11.65).
The men’s 100m event also delivered excitement, with Adekalu Fakorede clocking 10.10 seconds and Joshua Caleb closely following.
