World champion Oluwatobiloba Amusan is impressed by the outstanding performances of Nigerian athletes at the 2023 NCAA outdoor track and field championships that ran from Wednesday, June 7–Saturday, June 10 at Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field in Austin, Texas.
Emmanuel Bamidele ran 44.24 to win gold in the men’s 400m for Florida, which emerged as the men’s champions of the event. Stanford’s Udodi Onwuzurike won gold in the men’s 200m with a time of 19.84; Godson Oghenebrume ran 9.90 to bag the silver for LSU in the men’s 100m; and Rhasidat Adeleke won the women’s 400m for Texas with a time of 49.20 among other Nigerians that made the podium.
Globalsportsng reports that Amusan, the current World, Commonwealth, and African champion in the 100 m hurdles, expressed her delight in a post on her social media accounts, reminiscing on her time as an NCAA athlete.
The post reads, “A few years ago, only two or three Nigerian athletes were performing at a world-class level, but I’m delighted to see that change now that there are other athletes from Nigeria who are doing their country proud.
“I was incredibly eager to watch these youngsters run and throw incredible timing and distances at the recently concluded NCAA Outdoor Championships.
“I won the 100-metre hurdles at the NCAA in 2017, so I am aware of how it feels. Congratulations to all of you, and I’m really looking forward to the future as we re-establish Nigeria in track and field”.
Both the men’s and women’s championships were held simultaneously, with over 250 NCAA member institutions sponsor Division I track and field teams competing in over 20 events for both men and women in the meet that capped off an exciting outdoor season.
