Nigerian sprint star Favour Ashe has revealed the chaotic circumstances that disrupted his campaign at the just concluded African Championships in Athletics in Ghana, admitting that a series of off-track problems left him mentally drained and ultimately cost him a shot at an individual medal.
The 24-year-old arrived at the championships as one of Nigeria’s strongest medal hopes in the men’s 100m after an impressive season on the international circuit. However, what was expected to be a breakthrough tournament quickly turned into a frustrating battle against confusion, appeals, and unexpected setbacks.
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Although Ashe eventually missed the podium in the men’s 100m final, he still helped Nigeria salvage success by winning silver in the men’s 4x100m relay.
Disqualification drama, missing spikes derail Ashe’s medal chase
Ashe’s problems began during the heats of the men’s 100m when he was initially disqualified for a false start in controversial circumstances.
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The Nigerian sprinter explained that he believed the race would be restarted after the incident, only to suddenly discover that he had been handed a red card. Nigeria’s officials were then forced to appeal the decision before he was eventually cleared to run a solo qualification race for a place in the semi-finals.
However, the drama did not end there.
Speaking to Making of Champions after the event, Ashe disclosed that both his spikes and competition bibs went missing shortly before his crucial semi-final race, forcing him into a desperate last minute scramble.
“For my personal experience, I will rate the championships a five. My spike got missing before my 100m semi-finals and my bibs got missing,” Ashe revealed.
“Also, the false start in the 100m heats took my confidence from 10 to four because we ran the race and I expected them to say we should run again, but they gave me a red card.
“We had to appeal before I was allowed to come back for the solo race. That was when my spike got missing and I had to look for a bigger spike to run the solo race.
“Mentally, I was stressed. That wasn’t a good one for me, knowing that I would run the semis and the final the following day.”
Despite battling through the emotional and physical disruption, Ashe still managed to reach the final of the event. However, the Nigerian could not recover enough to challenge for gold.
Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme eventually won the men’s 100m title, while South Africa’s Bradley Nkoana claimed silver. Nigeria’s Chidera Ezeakor secured bronze to ensure Team Nigeria still reached the podium in the event.
Relay redemption as Nigeria fight back for silver
Although disappointed with the outcome of the individual race, Ashe responded strongly in the men’s 4x100m relay, helping Nigeria secure silver in one of the most competitive races of the championships.
Running alongside James Emmanuel, Tejiri Godwin and Chidera Ezeakor, Ashe anchored a determined Nigerian performance that produced a time of 38.70 seconds.
Nigeria finished ahead of hosts Ghana but narrowly behind Ivory Coast, who stormed to gold in 38.52 seconds.
“When it comes to the 4x100m, I always want to give my best,” Ashe said.
“I knew I had to set the pace with the first leg and everybody did their job, but I just saw Ivory Coast coming from lane one to win.”
The relay silver added another important medal to Nigeria’s tally at the championships and also reinforced Ashe’s reputation as one of the country’s most reliable relay runners.
READ ALSO: African Championships: Team Nigeria finishes strong with women’s 4x400m gold
Ashe remains central to Nigeria’s sprint future
His return to Team Nigeria earlier this year also attracted attention after reports linked him with a possible nationality switch to Qatar. Those rumours created concern among Nigerian athletics supporters given Ashe’s status as one of the country’s brightest sprint prospects.
However, the sprinter has consistently maintained that his focus remains firmly on representing Nigeria on the international stage.
Even after the difficult experience in Ghana, Ashe’s performances once again showed both his resilience and importance to Nigerian athletics, particularly in relay events where his explosive starts continue to give Team Nigeria a major advantage on the continental stage.
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