The 2025 Athletics season once again showcased the incredible depth and resilience of Nigerian women in track and field. From the sprints to the throws and hurdles, these athletes carried the nation’s flag with pride, delivering record-breaking performances, national titles, and global appearances.
Following the continuation of Part 1, here is the second part of our list on Nigeria’s Top 10 Female athletes whose brilliance stood out the most this season.
5. Rosemary Chukwuma
This season was quite a different one for Rosemary Chukwuma, having to compete for the first time as a professional athlete after spending a total of five seasons in the NJCAA and NCAA collegiate system representing South Plains and Texas Tech respectively.
Chukwuma started her season on a winning note, clocking an 11.08 in windy conditions. In April, she won the LSU Alumni Gold in an SB of 11.27s in the midst of a headwind of 1.7m/s. The following month, she surpassed the qualification mark for the World Championships after winning Final B of the women’s 100m at the Star Athletics Sprint Series in an SB of 11.03s.
Unfortunately for Chukwuma, the remainder of her races after this victory were being hindered by huge tail winds, clocking 10.98 (3.1) and 10.93s (3.9). It wasn’t until her Diamond League debut in Eugene where she finally ran a wind legal time of 11.09s to place 4th in the promotional event. She placed 2nd in yet another wind-aided time of 10.90s at the Ed Murphey Classic.
Making her third consecutive World Championships appearance, Chukwuma finished 5th in her heat with 11.27s to bring her campaign to an end.
4. Sade Olatoye
One of Africa’s finest Hammer throwers in history once again put the continent on the global stage as she qualified for her fourth consecutive World Championships, which was her major highlight this season. But before that became a possibility, Sade Olatoye had to put in the work in numerous meets this season.
The Nigerian began her campaign in April where she flung 66.91m to rank 6th at the Joe Walker Invitational. A week later, she improved her Season’s Best (SB) to 68.34m at the Oklahoma Throws World Series, then went on to better it at the USATF Throws Festival with a mark of 69.61m, placing 11th overall.
Representing Rivers State at the National Sports Festival, Olatoye won two GOLD medals in the Hammer throw and Shot put respectively. In July, while competing at the LA Throws Cup, she registered a distance of 69.41m to rank 3rd. Two days later at the Edmonton Athletics Invitational, the Nigerian eventually surpassed the 70 metre-mark in an upgraded SB of 70.27m, her third farthest career throw and third time beyond the magical 70m barrier in three consecutive seasons.
Olatoye would later return to Nigeria for the National Trials to defend her title with a victorious mark of 67.50m, taking her national tally to three in the Hammer and four overall, having won the Shotput national title in 2021.
The 2022 African Champion competed at her fourth consecutive World Championships, making her third appearance in the Hammer throw, having competed as a shotputter at her first World Championships appearance in Doha 2019. Olatoye had her best global placement at the World Championships in Tokyo, finishing 10th in her group and 21st overall out of 36 competitors.
3. Obiageri Amaechi
Obiageri Amaechi had one of her best seasons yet in 2025. She started with an opening range of 60.01m, her first time throwing over 60m at the beginning of a season. In her next competition, the Commonwealth Games Bronze medalist improved to 63.01m, 16cm shy off her PB. She won the Oklahoma Throws Series in 62.83m.
Amaechi didn’t throw beyond 60m for months, challenging the 60m barrier on only two occasions: 59.18m at the Iron Wood Classic and 59.39m at the Nigerian National Championships. Amaechi’s throw in the latter competition was enough for 2nd place at the National Trials.
Two weeks later, the African Games Champion stunned herself by coming close to smashing the African Record after swinging her implement to a new Personal Best (PB) of 64.80m, 16cm away from the record set by Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons in 2024, at the Oklahoma Throws Series. That distance catapulted her to 3rd in the African all time list.
Amaechi competed at her second World Championships in Tokyo, Japan where she placed 33rd overall.
2. Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons
The African Record holder launched her season with a bang, tossing a massive 64.12m at the Oklahoma Throws Meet to kick things off. At the Len Paddock Open, Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons hurled 61.64m to place 2nd. A forthnight later, she threw a 62.52m to finish 3rd at the USATF Throws Festival.
The three-time African Champion recorded her second best throw of the season at the Iron Wood Classic where she came in 4th place with a distance of 62.81m. At the Nigerian Championships, she emerged victorious with a distance of 60.76m, which happened to be her farthest mark on home soil since 2022 where she threw a 62.20m.
Her win earned Onyekwere-Lyons her third National crown in the Discus. The reigning Commonwealth Games Champion made her fourth World Championships appearance in Tokyo, starting with an opening throw of 59.49m but fouled her remaining two attempts, finishing 12th in her group and 20th overall out of 37 competitors.
1. Tobi Amusan
Tobi Amusan reclaims her top place on our rankings, a position she held in the 2022 and 2023 season. 2025 was a renaissance season for the World Record holder who began training under the legendary Glenn Mills, Usain Bolt’s former coach.
In her first 100m Hurdles race, she clocked an SB of 12.74s to place 4th. A month later, she won the Rabat Diamond League in an improved SB of 12.45. At the Paris Diamond League, the three-time Diamond League Final champion clocked her fastest time since her WR of 12.12s in 2022, blazing a scorching 12.24s to place 2nd. Four days later, she took the crown at the Ostrava Golden Spike memorial in 12.45s.
The two-time Commonwealth Games Champion was in action at the Eugene Diamond League, recording a time of 12.38s to grab 2nd. Amusan won her fifth consecutive National title in 12.57s. Two weeks later, she blazed to a superb 12.25s, her 3rd fastest time ever, to finish 3rd at the Chorzow Diamond League in Poland.
At the World Championships, a lot of things were at stake for the former World Champion who finished an agonizing 4th in the same stadium at the Tokyo Olympics, and a disappointing 9th at the Paris Olympics. The Nigerian knew she had to bring her A-game in one of the most unpredictable and competitive events in the sport today.
Amusan eased through in the heats, then churned the fastest time overall in the semis in 12.36s. In the final, she ran a tactical race, letting her top end speed do the job as she crossed the line in the Silver medal position in her tied 4th fastest career time of 12.29s, joining the exclusive club of Nigerians with two individual World Championships medals – Blessing Okagbare and Ese Brume.
Amusan’s Silver medal ended a three-year drought for the country and was the only medal won by Nigeria at the Championships. She has been Africa’s fastest woman in the event for 10 consecutive seasons dating back to 2016.
