BY Macaulay Maduwuba
The International Federation of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has listed 10 Nigerian athletes among its compilation of fastest runners in the 100m category, for the year 2015.
The list, published on the federation’s website, has American sprinter, Justin Gatlin in the lead with a time of 9.74 seconds set at the Doha Diamond league on May 16.
Sprinter, Ogho-oghene Egwero’s time of 10.06 seconds, set at the last All African Games in Brazzaville, puts him ahead of Nigeria’s other five athletes in the male category and 44th in the world.
Seye Ogunlewe (10.19 secs), Nicholas Imhoaperamhie (10.23secs), Okeudo Jonathan Nmaju (10.23 secs), Peter Emelieze (10.26 secs) and Obinna Metu (10.28 secs), make up the list for Nigerian male sprinters.
In the women category, record-setting Blessing Okagbare is ranked third with her time of 10.80 seconds set at the Stade de France in July.
Peace Uko’s time of 11.27 seconds ensured that she is the second Nigerian with the fastest time.
Stephanie Kalu (11.37 secs) and Gloria Asumnu are the last two of four ranked Nigerian female sprinters.
Full list is presented below, the male category first, followed by the female.
The 27-year-old African championships gold and silver medalist set the season record of 10.06 seconds at the All Africa Games where he won Nigeria’s only medal in the men’s 100m in second place.
He also finished in second place behind Seye Ogunlewe at the Nigerian national athletics championship in Warri.
Ogunlewe equalled his personal best and fastest time of 10.19 seconds at the Nigerian championship in Warri, winning his first national title. He first clocked that time at the Loughborough EAP meetings in the Great Britain.
Imhoaperamhe set the personal and season best record of 10.23 seconds at the Onitsha AFN Golden League held in Oba in June. The 22-year-old shares the same time with compatriot, Okeudo Jonathan Nmaju.
He could not equal or better the time at the national championship in Warri where he finished fifth on 10.37 seconds.
Nmaju’s time of 10.23 seconds stands as his personal and season best. The 22-year-old set the record at the Zaragoza Spanish Club Championship in May. He finished third at the national championship in Warri.
Emelieze ran the season best of 10.26 seconds at the Mannheim WM-Verabschiedung in Germany in August.
A two-time African championship medalist and bronze medalist at the All-Africa Games, former national champion, Obinna Metu set the 10.28 seasons record at the Argentan National Meet in France in June.
Metu finished fourth on 10.35 seconds at the national championships in Warri.
African track queen and six-time African championship winner, Okagbare ran the season best of 10.80 seconds at the Paris Meeting in Areva, finishing the year one-second better than Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce’s time of 10.81 secs.
Okagbare is the current record holder in the African 100 metres.
Uko’s time of 11.27 seconds set at the Clermont NTC Pure Athletics Sprint Elite Meet stands as her personal and season best.
An American-born sprinter, Kalu scored her season best record of 11.37 seconds Mannheim WM-Verabschiedung in Germany in August. The 32-year-old switched allegiance to Nigeria and represented the country in major tournaments.
The oldest active Nigerian on the list, Asumnu set her season best record of 11.42 seconds at the Warri national championship.
The 30-year-old American-born All Africa Games gold medalist switched allegiance to Nigeria in 2011 after formerly representing the United states.
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