•As Abasiono breaks 20-year old 400m hurdles record
By Monica Iheakam
Commonwealth Games reigning champion, Chioma Onyekwere has set a new African record in Discus.
Onyekwere, at the Oklahoma Throws series over the weekend, struck gold with a distance throw of 64.96m to break the African record held by South Africa’s Elinza Naude.
The 64.96m mark sends the 28 year-old Nigerian to the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championship billed for August.
Onyekwere now joins the league of Nigerian other stars like Vivian Chukwuemeka (Shot Put), Ese Brume (Long Jump) and Annette Nneka Echikunwoke (who has changed allegiance to the USA) in the Hammer Throw to reign supreme in field events in Africa.
At the Tom Jones Invitational meet, another Nigerian, Abasiono Akpan broke Auburn University’s 20-year-old freshman school mark in the 400m hurdles, posting a time of 56.93, to overtake the previous record of 57.81 held by Josanne Lucas.
This is Akpan’s second fastest time in the event after the 56.83 she ran last December to win the 400m hurdles title at the 21st National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta state.
