Nigerian male sprinters stood out with strong performances in the 2025 Athletics season, stamping their authority with incredible moments on the domestic, continental, and world stages. Let’s kick off our annual Toplist of Nigeria’s Top 10 Male Sprinters in 2025 (Part 1).
10. Gafari Badmus
Gafari Badmus is quickly becoming one of the top homegrown athletes in the men’s 400m, regularly running under 46s this season to showcase his impressive growth and consistency. He kicked off his season at MTN CHAMPS Benin, winning his heat in the U20 category with 47.94s. In the final, he secured the GOLD with a time of 46.50s.
At the National Sports Festival (NSF) in Abeokuta, Badmus was part of the mixed 4x400m relay team that won the first GOLD medal in Athletics. In the 400m heats, he ran 45.91s, his first time under 46s. He followed it with an impressive 46.08s in the semifinal and finished 2nd in the final with 45.65s.
Badmus continued to shine, posting the overall fastest time of 46.15s across all heats at the National U20 Championships. In the final, he won the men’s 400m Junior title with a thrilling 45.78s. He also set a Personal Best (PB) of 21.64s in the 200m at the SWAC Pre-NSF 6 Athletics Competition in Abeokuta.
At the African U18 & U20 Championships, Badmus stormed to victory in his heat in 45.82s but narrowly missed out on a medal in the final after clocking 45.95s for 4th. He then competed in the Nigerian Championships, running 45.91s in the first round and 46.93s in the semis. In the final, the youngster emerged the new men’s 400m Champion with a PB of 45.71s. He followed that up with another victory (45.53s) at the CAA Region II Championship in Accra. Badmus is certainly building serious momentum for 2026.
- Seye Ogunlewe
Three-time National Champion Seye Ogunlewe started his 2025 season at the LSU Alumni Gold where he ran a Season’s Best (SB) of 10.33s, improving to an SB of 10.19s at the LSU Invitational. He finished 6th in the 100m with a time of 10.19s.
At the Atletica Geneve in Switzerland , Ogunlewe ran 10.17s (-0.4) to finish 2nd in his 100m heat. He placed 7th in the final with 10.21s. At the BFTTA Outdoor Series 4 in London, he set a new SB of 20.87s in the 200m.
Ogunlewe dominated his 100m heat at the National Championships, winning in 10.18s. In the semis, he ran 10.19s for3rd and eventually settled for 4th place in the finals with a new SB of 10.09s. He closed his 2025 season at the Newham & Essex Beagles Stratford Speed GP, where he finished 3rd in a time of 10.13s.
- Edidiong Udo
Edidiong Udo has proven that true strength comes from within. The 2025 season saw the Nigerian athlete stepping down from the 800m to the 400m in his first year at the Ohio State University, and he did amazing things on the track this year.
Udo kicked off his season by winning the men’s 600m at the UK Rod McCravy Invite with a time of 1:16.77s. It was the second-fastest indoor 600m time for a Nigerian, behind Edose Ibadin’s 1:15.89 in 2024. He clocked a huge Personal Best (PB) of 45.61s in his first 400m race for Ohio State and posted 46.42s at the Clemson Invitational a fortnight later.
In April, Udo smashed his PB to 45.19s at the Tom Jones Memorial in Florida, and went on to win a Bronze medal at the Big 10 Championships in Oregon with a time of 45.78s. He qualified for the Championships after racing to a time of 45.27s at the NCAA East Prelims in Florida. He was on the 4x400m relay team at the NCAA Championships, where Ohio State finished sixth in the semis in 3:04.61. The Freshman ended his season thereafter.
- Alaba Akintola
Alaba Akintola’s skill on the curve has always been one of his greatest strengths. The sprinter started his 2025 season strongly at the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational in Louisville, running 6.66s twice and finishing 3rd in the men’s 60m final. One of the best moments of his season came when he went on to set a new PB of 20.23s (+0.1) to win the men’s 200m at the Meeting Ciudad de Malaga in Spain, having finished 2nd in the 100m with a time of 10.17s.
In July, the two-time National Champion set a Meet Record (MR) of 10.18s (-0.4) to win the men’s 100m at the Grand Prix Nove Mesto nad Metuji in Czechia. He went on to set a Season’s Best (SB) of 10.11s (+1.5m/s) in the men’s 100m at the McEachern Last Chance Qualifier in Georgia, finishing 2nd. He also won the men’s 200m in 20.28s.
- Chidi Okezie
Chidi Okezie has been a steady, persistent, and impactful athlete since his entry into the Nigerian Athletics scene in 2015, winning the 400m title at his first National Championships in Warri, Delta State. To celebrate his decade of service, Okezie added another national title to his collection – his first 200m crown with a PB of 20.62s at the 2025 Nigerian Trials in Lagos.
Okezie started his outdoor season at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, racing to an SB of 45.15s to finish 4th, marking his fastest season opener. He lowered his SB to 44.98s at the Kip Keino Classic, the second fastest time of his career, settling for 2nd place. He followed that up with a clocking of 45.23s at the Edmonton Athletics Invitational, finishing 2nd.
The highlight of Okezie’s season was making his first World Championships appearance at Tokyo 2025, competing in the heats. Throughout his career, Okezie has always given his best for Nigeria, proudly wearing the green and white colours and representing his country with honour.
