IAAF World Athletics Championships: AFN picks Okagbare, 22 others

Blessing Okagbare will be leading Nigeria’s charge for medals at the 2015 IAAF World Athletics Championships billed for Beijing, China, from 22 August until 30 August 2015.

Okagbare, who was missed at the recently concluded National trials in Warri, Delta state, is top on the list of 23 athletes selected by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, to compete at the biggest athletics meet outside the Olympics.

A breakdown of the list sent to PREMIUM TIMES by Olukayode Thomas, the Head of Media for the AFN, indicates that a total of 18, female, five male athletes and 10 officials will make the trip to Beijing.

Aside Okagbare, some of the other athletes that would be gunning for honours at the World Championships include Gloria Asumnu who won the 100 women’s event at the national trials in the absence of Okagbare.

Cecilia Francis, Stephanie Kalu, Deborah Odeyemi, Ngozi Onwumere are the others selected for the women’s sprint races and 4x100m event.

Also, Uhunoma Osazuwa, who set a new National Record in Heptathlon last week in Warri is in the mix to contest in Beijing.

In the Men’s category, the five selected athletes are Ogho-Oghene Egwero (100m), Odele Tega Peter (200m) Tyron Akins (110mH), Ukaoma Miles (400mH) and Tosin Oke (Triple Jump)

Below is the full list of Team Nigeria Athletes to the World Championships

Female Athletes

100/200/4x100m

1 Blessing Okagbare

2 Gloria Asumnu

3 Stephanie Kalu

4 Deborah Odeyemi

5 Cecilia Francis

6 Ngozi Onwumere

400/4x400m

7 Patience Okon

8 Regina George

9 Oluwatosin Adeloye

10 Etim Margaret

11 Funke Oladoye

12 Rita Ossai

High Jump

13 Doreen Amata

100mH

14 Lindsay Weyimi Lindley

400mH

15 Amaka Ogoegbunam

Long Jump

16 Ese Brume

Discus

17 Chinwe Okoro

Heptathlon

18 Uhunoma Naomi Osazuwa

Male Athletes

100màq1

1 Ogho-Oghene Egwero

200m

2. Odele Tega Peter

110mH

3 Tyron Akins

400mH

4 Ukaoma Miles

Triple Jump

5 Tosin Oke

Officials

1 President

2 Technical Director

3 Secretary General

4 Prof Kenneth Anugweje

5 Gabriel Okon

6 Maurice Greene

7 Solomon Aliyu

8 Yussuf Alli

9 Kayode Thomas

10 Falilat Ogunkoya