Nigeria will be represented by the pair of Enoch Adegoke and Usheoritse Itsekiri in the semis of a highly competitive men’s 100m at the ongoing Olympic Games in Tokyo after both athletes secured their spots, posting inspiring performances in the heats on Saturday.
While racing at the Olympic Stadium, the Nigerian Champion sped into the history books as the country’s 11th sub-10s runner, stunning a stacked field which included USA Champion and World Leader Trayvon Bromell, to take the win in Heat 2 with an impressive time of 9.98s.
Qatar’s Femi Ogunbode and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes followed in 10.02s and 10.04s respectively, with Bromell settling for 4th place.
Former Nigerian Champion Itsekiri also gave a good account of himself, racing to a 3rd place finish with a time of 10.15s in Heat 1 that was dominated by USA’s Ronnie Baker. It was a sad day for 200m National Record holder Divine Odududuru who was disqualified for a false start.
Speaking after his breathtaking performance, an excited Adegoke who is making his first appearance at the Olympics said:
“It feels great, I’m excited about this. It’s been a long time coming and I thank God for the result. God has said it and he did it.”
When asked about his strategy for the next round, the Commonwealth Games finalist said: “I think it’s all about recovery and communicating with my coach. I trust God for a better result tomorrow. “
Adegoke has been drawn into Heat 2 of the semis where he will once again square off with Bromell, Ogunbode and Hughes while compatriot Itsekiri will compete in Heat 1, where he will face Andre De Grasse, Fred Kerley and Yohan Blake.