Nigeria’s track and field pipeline continues to show remarkable depth, and 2025 gave a glimpse of what the next wave could look like. From domestic competitions to continental meets, a group of athletes began turning promise into performance, forcing their way into national conversations and, in some cases, onto the international stage.
This list highlights Nigeria’s top athletes to watch heading into 2026; competitors whose rapid progression, breakthrough performances, and ability to deliver under pressure suggest that their best years are still ahead.
10. Toheebat Jimoh
If anyone had told Toheebat Jimoh who won 200m GOLD at the 2023 National Youth Games (NYG) that she would become a multiple African Junior medallist in the 400m, she might have laughed it off. Her early success came almost entirely in the 100m and 200m, before a brief stall in progression pushed her toward an event she had barely explored.
Her first official 400m race came at the MTN CHAMPS Benin, where she ran 57.32s to finish 2nd in her heat and 6th overall in the Junior Girls’ final. Rather than retreat, Jimoh doubled down, returning at the Lagos leg of the series to claim victory in 56.79s less than a month later. Her quiet breakthrough arrived at the MTN CHAMPS Grand Finale in Uyo, where she dropped over two seconds from her previous best, running 55.83s in qualifying before storming to Silver in the final with a new Personal Best (PB) of 54.30s. Combined with her 24.90s over 200m, it already had the makings of a very good season.
Success, however, only sharpened her appetite. Jimoh represented Ogun State at the National Sports Festival, anchoring the mixed 4x400m team to GOLD. Entering the National U20 Championships with less than a year in the event and up against more seasoned quarter-milers, Jimoh produced one of her most compelling races, coming from behind to snatch GOLD in the final 10m in a new PB of 54.04s.
That victory earned her a first national call-up, and she delivered on the continental stage at the African U20 Championships in Abeokuta, winning Bronze in 53.00s and anchoring Nigeria to GOLD in the women’s 4x400m. She closed the year as a semi-finalist in the women’s 400m at the National Championships in Lagos, opting out of the final due to injury but firmly establishing herself as one of Nigeria’s most exciting young quarter-milers.
9. Anita Enaruna
Anita Enaruna made remarkable progress in a short space of time, enough to suggest she could one day lead Nigerian women’s sprinting, particularly in the 400m. Just seven days before the end of 2024, she ran a PB of 53.75s at the pre–National Sports Festival meet in Ibadan, a massive leap from the 59-second range she opened the year with. She followed that by representing Edo State at the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, winning her heat and semifinal to reach her first senior national final.
While reaching the final was a breakthrough, it was clear Enaruna was still learning the nuances of the event. She attacked the race aggressively but faded late, eventually finishing 6th. Ahead of the National U20 Championships in Sagamu, she wasn’t even certain she would make the individual team and was content with a relay role. Instead, she surprised herself by leading most of the final before being edged at the line for Silver, a result that secured her place on the national squad.
That decision paid off beyond expectation. At the African U20 Championships in Abeokuta, Enaruna emerged as the Most Valuable Performer, winning four medals, three of them GOLD. She featured in all three Nigerian relay quartets — women’s 4x100m, 4x400m, and mixed 4x400m — and was also part of Nigeria’s 400m sweep, taking Silver in a new PB of 52.97s.
Now operating at a higher level, she finished 3rd in the women’s 400m at the National Senior Championships in Lagos and was selected for the CAA Region II Championships, where she claimed three GOLD medals, including the 200m in a PB of 23.91s. Enaruna closed her season at the Islamic Solidarity Games with another huge PB of 23.36s over 200m, beating Salwa Eid Naser in her heat before finishing 6th in the final.
8. Favour Onyah
From representing Nigeria at the Commonwealth Youth Games to becoming National Champion in the 400m, Favour Onyah has certainly come a long way and earns a fitting place on our Nigerian athletes list to watch in 2026.
Onyah committed to SouthEastern Louisiana not long after she represented Nigeria at the Commonwealth Youth Games. She improved in 2024 by the littlest of margins, but her decision to stick with the school and their programme paid off in 2025.
She started off the outdoor season in near-PB shape at LSU where she ran 53.64s over 400m. A month after, she slashed her time down to 52.51s, exactly a second better than what she started the year with.
At the Southland Conference Championships in Houston, she finished 2nd in the women’s 400m final and earned another Silver as a part of the 4x400m team. She was running with a newly-found swagger that came in handy when she needed it the most.
Onyah qualified for the women’s 400m at the NCAA Championships at the East Preliminaries, running a School Record (SR) of 51.93s and making it through as her school’s only representative at the Championships. She ended her NCAA season, finishing 6th in her 400m semifinal.
Returning home to contest for a series of titles, Onyah ran the women’s 400m at the African Junior Championships and won the U20 title in a time of 52.47s. She ended a glorious season with the Nigerian women’s 400m crown in Lagos!
7. Chioma Nwachukwu
Chioma Nwachukwu has emerged as one of Africa’s most exciting long-term prospects in the women’s 400m. Before leaving Nigeria, she was steadily piling up wins on the home circuit, until her move to Iowa for her collegiate career.
Her impact was immediate. When she opened her indoor season in January with a 53.32s run, nearly matching her outdoor PB from Nigeria, it was evident Iowa had gotten a serious talent. Over the next month, she lowered her PB multiple times, eventually clocking 52.07s to become the Big Ten Indoor 400m Champion. She also played a key role in Iowa’s runner-up finish in the women’s 4x400m at the Championships.
Outdoors, Nwachukwu took another leap forward. She ran 51.44s and 51.26s in back-to-back races, winning at both the Tom Jones Memorial and the Drake Relays. A disqualification denied her a chance at completing the Big Ten indoor-outdoor 400m double, but she again contributed to a Silver medal finish with the 4x400m relay team.
She closed her NCAA season at the NCAA Championships, finishing 6th in the relay with her teammates, before carrying her form back to Nigeria. At the African Junior Championships, Nwachukwu claimed GOLD in the U18 Girls’ 400m in 52.47s to lead a Nigerian 1–2 finish, then added another GOLD in the relay medley to end the season.
6. John Caleb
John Caleb, popularly known as Schoolboy has been a special talent, well known on the Nigerian circuit, ever since he first broke out in 2023, especially for his small frame. Going by his performances in those years, he was bound for greatness and he finally began to deliver on the promise he has shown.
He started off his season with four straight wins, between the 100m and 200m at the MTN Champs Benin Classics, winning the U20 Boys’ 100m in 10.63s and then posting 21.72s over 200m where he only ran the heats.
Caleb went on to his next outing, just under a month after in Lagos where he ran two new Personal Bests in the 100m and 200m, clocking times of 10.39s and 21.19s to win two GOLD medals in the U20 Boys’ events.
He went on the National U20 Championships where as one of the favourites, he delivered yet again, winning the U20 Boys’ 100m and 200m to complete the sprint double.
He went on to represent Nigeria in both events at the African U20 Championships where he finished as finalists and then won GOLD as a part of the men’s 4x100m team. He infact ran the decisive leg on the Nigerian relay team, reeling in the field on the 3rd leg and moving Nigeria up from about 4th place into pole position.
Caleb ended the season on a high as a semifinalist in the men’s 100m at the National Senior Championships in Lagos, leaving the competition with a new 100m PB of 10.21s.
