Blessing Okagbare, Ese Bume and Tobi Amusan are among the overseas-based athletes who are at the Yaba College of Technology for the National Trials of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Punch reports
The trials, which starts on Thursday (today), would be used to select athletes who would represent Nigeria at the Olympics, while those who are yet to meet the Olympics qualification standards also have the opportunity to do so at the event.
Our correspondent gathered that US-based Favour Ofili, Dotun Ogundeji, Sade Olatoye, Cici Onyekwere, Ashley Anumba and Annette Echikunwoke are also in Lagos.
Asides the overseas-based athletes, local athletes are also in Lagos for the trials.
Grace Nwokocha, the only home-based athlete who has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, would feature in the 100m and 200m women’s events.
Other notable names include men’s 100m and 200m winner at the 2020 National Sports Festival Enoch Adegoke, sports festival high jump winner Dayid Aya and discus winner Utitifon James.
Our correspondent however gathered that notable absentees include Divine Oduduru, Raymond Ekevwo and Ruth Usoro.
Oduduru has already qualified for the men’s 100m and 200m of the Olympics, while Ekevwo has qualified for the men’s 100m. Usoro has also qualified for the long jump and triple jump events of the Olympics.
Brume, who broke Chioma Ajunwa’s 25-year old African long jump record last month in the US, would be competing for the first time after achieving the feat.
Asides the national trials, an invitational relay which has other African countries in attendance is set to hold on Sunday at the same venue.
“The invitational relays have become very important as it, for now, remains the only window left for Nigeria to secure qualifications for the relay events of the Olympics.
“We know our women’s 4x100m team have qualified provisionally for Tokyo and we are confident others will also make the cut before the June 29, 2021 final deadline for qualification,” AFN Secretary General, Adisa Beyioku, said in a statement.
Qualification for the athletics event of the 2020 Olympics will end on June 29.
