Nigerian athletes couldn’t bring home any medals from the World U-20 Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru, which ended on August 30. They faced disappointment similar to their performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where they also didn’t win any medals.
In the U-20 World Championship tournament, Prestina Ochonogor gave hope by securing a spot in the long jump final with a jump of 6.28 meters on August 27, but she ended up fifth with a 6.21-meter jump. In the women’s 100m, Justina Eyakpobeyan advanced to the semi-finals with a time of 11.61 seconds but finished seventh in the final with a time of 11.63 seconds.
Ella Onojuvwevwo also finished fifth in the women’s 400m with a time of 52.61 seconds. Gafar Badmus placed fifth in his semi-final heat for the men’s 400m with a time of 47.43 seconds, missing out on the finals.
Adding to the setbacks, Caleb Joshua, who first seemed to qualify for the men’s 400m final, got disqualified due to a lane infringement.
Nigeria’s poor governance has a significant negative impact on sports especially the just concluded U-20 World Championship. Lack of adequate funding, poor infrastructure, and corruption within the sports administration hinder athletes’ development and preparation. Without proper training facilities, access to quality coaching, and timely financial support, Nigerian athletes struggle to compete on the world stage. This neglect results in missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential, as seen in these recent performances.
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