August 23, (THEWILL) – Two US-based Nigerian sprinters, Alaba Akintola and Favour Ofili, have advanced to the next rounds of the 200m event at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday.
Akintola finished third in his heat with a time of 20.45 seconds to qualify for the men’s 200m heats on Thursday. Ofili came fourth in her heat with a time of 22.66s, the second fastest she has run this season, to reach the women’s 200m semifinals. For Akintola, reaching the next round keeps alive his chances of contending in an event where he boasts a personal best of 20.26s and season best of 20:43. The Tennessee-based sprinter initially qualified by virtue of making the cut after the disqualification of France’s Ryan Zeze.
Ofili, who holds the Nigerian 200m record indoors and outdoors, will need to come close to her personal best of 21.96 seconds, also the Nigerian record, to secure a spot in the final. She faces tough competition in her semi-final heat, going up against defending champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica and 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the USA.
Reaching the semi-finals, Ofili becomes the sixth Nigerian woman to make it this far in the 200m at the World Championships. She follows in the footsteps of compatriots like Mary Onyali, Fatimah Yusuf, Mercy Nku, Blessing Okagbare and Rosemary Chukwuma.
Both Akintola and Ofili will be hoping their World Championships experience serves as ideal preparation for other major international meets ahead, as they look to build their credentials on the global stage.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
