Chidi Okezie gave a fantastic showing to successfully reclaim his 400m crown just as Imaobong Nse Uko totally outclassed her peers to claim her first 400m national title in the women’s event on Day 2 of the ongoing Nigerian Championships in Benin, Edo State.
In a keenly contested men’s 400 final, it was Okezie that prevailed, coasting to victory with a Season’s Best (SB) of 45.83s. Dubem Nwachukwu placed 2nd with 46.29s just as Samuel Ogazi followed closely to finish 3rd in 46.35s.
Okezie now has two individual national titles; his first gotten in same 400m event at the National Championships held in Yabatech back in 2021.
It was a pretty decent debut for Nwachukwu who is only having his first feel of the Nigerian Championships after switching international allegiance from the United States barely one month ago.
The last time Dubem Nwachukwu returned to Nigeria was in 2010 with his family; he had been to Nigeria only once before then. He returned to motherland for a third time on Monday, and competed in his first Nigerian Championships. pic.twitter.com/vuLwOIwYHd
— Making of Champions (@MakingOfChamps) July 6, 2023
Meanwhile, Uko finally got her hands on the women’s 400m crown after winning the women’s final A with 52.07s, well ahead of Omolara Omotosho who placed 2nd in 52.87s and Queen Usunobun came 3rd in 53.16s.
Since stepping into limelight at the National Youth Games at Ilorin and National Sports Festival back in 2018, the 400m national title has somehow eluded Uko for so long despite her promising trajectory. However, the wait finally came to an end on Thursday, and in decent fashion.
Imaobong Uko might have been around for sometime now, but surprisingly she's just winning her 1st 400m National title since coming on the scene as a Youth athlete. Uko paced herself well to win in 52.07s, with Omolara Omotosho 2nd in 52.87s & Queen Usunobun 3rd in 53.16s. pic.twitter.com/3dKyWkspbb
— Making of Champions (@MakingOfChamps) July 6, 2023
