John Clifford Umukoro has emerged winner of the men’s 100 meters race event in 10.26 seconds (2.4) at the 2023 Big West Championships in California.
He beat Tristyn Flores who was second in 10.30 seconds and then doubled back in the 200 meters, this time running a personal best of 20.98 seconds (0.5) for second place.
John Clifford Umukoro
John Clifford Umukoro is a multi-talented athlete whose prowess cuts across the sprints and hurdles.
John Clifford is a multi-talented athlete who has the potential to excel in any event he puts his mind into, be it the sprints or hurdles. Born on Clifford’s potential was showcased at the Making of Champions (MoC) Trials held in Ughelli towards the end of 2018 where he put up an outstanding display. His tall frame also added to his appeal and he was snapped up by the club and relocated to Lagos.
Clifford’s first outing as an MoC athlete was at the 2019 National Under-20 Championships where he put up an impressive performance to finish 2nd in his 400 meters and 4th in the final, narrowly missing a place on the podium in his maiden competition for MoC. At the second MoC Grand Prix in Lagos, Clifford raced in the 110m Hurdles competitively for the first time and settled for 2nd place in his heat.
Clifford’s encouraging performances saw him compete at the National Senior Championships where he raced in the 200 meters and 400 meters, and he went on to set a new Personal Best (PB) of 21.73 seconds to finish second in the 200 meters B Final.
His 2020 started on a bright note when he stormed to a new PB of 48.78 seconds at the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) All-Comers in Akure. He followed it up with another PB of 21.55 seconds in the 200 meters at the AFN Classics in Ekiti a fortnight later.
