Chioma Onyekwere has set a new National Record in Discus throw while competing at the Chula Vista High Performance Meet in California, USA.
Chioma Onyekwere achieved the feat on April 24, 2021 by getting a new Personal Best (PB) and Nigerian Record of 63.30 meters, improving on her previous PB of 61.38 meters set at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
Chioma Onyekwere ’s new record erases the previous NR of 61.58 meters set by Chinwe Okoro in 2016, and is the second farthest throw by an African, as only South Africa’s Elizna Naude (64.87 meters) has recorded a better mark on the African all-time list. Onyekwere’s new mark moves her closer to the Tokyo Olympics qualifying standard of 63.50 meters.
Also, in her first 100 meters race of the year, multiple World Championships medallist Blessing Okagbare stormed to a Season’s Best (SB) and first sub-11s in three years while racing at the USATF Grand Prix held in Oregon over the weekend, winning the women’s 100 meters in an impressive time of 10.97 seconds (+1.2m/s). She was followed by Morolake Akinosun in an SB of 11.09 seconds and Daryll Neitia in 11.18 seconds, also an SB.
The Olympic Silver medallist had also dominated the heats where she clocked a then SB of 11.01 seconds to finish well ahead of US Champion Teahna Daniels (11.18 seconds) and Akinosun (11.21 seconds).
In the men’s race, Divine Oduduru ran an SB of 10.25 seconds to finish 5th as USA’s Trayvon Bromell clocked an SB of 10.01 seconds to take the win. The Nigerian had earlier on placed 4th in his heat where he returned a time of 10.39 seconds.
Another Nigerian who was in action at the meet is Commonwealth Games GOLD Medallist Tobi Amusan who competed in her specialist event, the 100 meters Hurdles for the first time this year, and finished 6th in an SB of 13.10 seconds, with Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn taking the win in 12.46 seconds.
LSU Freshman Favour Ofili continued her impressive run this season as in her first time running the 400 meters this year, she clocked a Personal Best (PB) of 51.49 seconds in the event at the LSU Alumni Gold in Baton Rouge, just edged out by Charokee Young who also clocked an identical time for the win. Natassa McDonald placed 3rd in 51.94 seconds. Ofili also helped the LSU women’s 4×100 meters team to a World Lead (WL) of 42.70 seconds at the competition.
At the same competition, Mercy Abire finished 2nd in the women’s Long Jump with a mark of 6.39 meters, just behind Texas A&M’s Deborah Acquah who won the event with a leap of 6.81 meters.
Competing at the 2021 ULTF Clark Wood Invitational in Louisville, KY, Amarachukwu Obi won the women’s 200 meters (1.9) in a Meet Record (MR) of 23.06 seconds, just missing her PB from last weekend by four-hundredths of a second.
At the same meet, Best Erhire cleared 2.14 meters to finish 2nd behind Darryl Sullivan who won the men’s High Jump with 2.27 meters, while Benjamin Onyekwelu placed 7th in the men’s Long Jump with 7.37 meters.
African Games Champion Chukwuebuka Enekwechi competed in the men’s Shot Put at the Drake Relays, sending his orb out to an SB of 21.08 meters to finish 3rd behind Olympic Champion Ryan Crouser who opened up a World Lead (WL) of 21.93 meters to win the event, as Nick Ponzio threw 21.16 meters for 2nd place.
World Championships semi-finalist Rilwan Alowonle also competed at the Drake Relays where he placed 7th in a time of 50.84 seconds in his second 400 meters Hurdles race this season, with Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos storming to a World Lead (WL) and PB of 48.15 seconds to take the win.
