CAA: AFN set to sanction Ofili and Chukwuma says Amusan is responding to treatment

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) says the world record holder in the 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, is responding to treatment.

Amusan withdrew from the ongoing 2024 African Senior Athletics Championships in Douala due to illness.

She touched down in Douala on Thursday morning alongside other members of the Nigerian contingent with no sign of illness. But she fell ill on Thursday night and that prevented her from competing in the 100m hurdles on Friday morning.

The Sports Ministry’s medical personnel attached to the AFN team to Douala advised her to take a rest.

The president of AFN, Tonobok Okowa said on Saturday that there is no cause to worry about Amusan’s health, adding that the athlete is responding to treatment and will be back in training soon ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Okowa arrived in Douala on Friday evening with the new kits for the athletes and officials participating in the Championships. The athletes were full of joy wearing their new kits to compete at the Japoma Stadium.

Meanwhile, the duo of Ofili Favour and Rosemary Chukwuma may be sanctioned by the AFN technical department for abandoning their events at the championships.

The two U.S.-based sprinters refused to show up for their semifinal of the 100m on Saturday afternoon.

Elsewhere, Team Nigeria won three more medals on Day 2 of the ongoing African Seniors Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon.

The three medals, two silver and a bronze were won in the women's hammer, 4×400m mix relay and in the men's Long Jump.

Sade Olatoye won Silver in the women's hammer with a best effort of 67.72m.

Team Nigeria took silver in the mixed 4x400m relay. The quartet of Emmanuel Ojeli, Ella Onojuvwevwo, Dubem Nwachukwu, and Patience Okon-George finished the race in a time of 3:13.72 seconds.

Gold went to South Africa in 3:13.12, while Botswana got Bronze in 3:15.93.

Goodness Iredia won Nigeria’s first men’s long jump medal in 14 years after leaping to a 7.75m finish in the final.

The Nigerian’s mark was just 3 centimetres short of the 7.78m jump by South Africa’s Lionel Coetzee who won the gold medal.

Emmanuel Njoku, his compatriot, finished fourth in the event with a 7.72m jump.

Iredia’s medal is the first won by a Nigerian man since 2010 when Stanley Gbagbeke also won a bronze medal in Nairobi, Kenya.

Nigeria dominated the long jump event in the early years of the Championships, winning eight of the first nine editions with a clean sweep of the medals in the inaugural edition in 1979 through Ajayi Agbebaku, Kayode Elegbede and Joseph Kio and 1984 by Paul Emordi, Yusuf Alli and Joseph Kio.

Olayinka Olajide was second from the rear in the women's 100m final.

Two athletes Favour Ofili and Rosemary Chukwuma did not turn up for the semi-finals of the 100m race and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), are likely to punish both athletes.

In the men's 100m final, Nigeria missed out on a podium finish as Kanyinsola Ajayi came fourth in a race won by Liberia's Joseph Fahnbulleh in a time of 10:13 seconds.

Emmanuel Eseme claimed Silver in 10.15 seconds. South Africa's Benjamin Richardson got the Bronze in 10.17 seconds.

On Day 3 of the African Seniors Athletics Championships, three Nigerians, Chidi Okezie, Samuel Ogazi and Dubem Amene will be on the starting block in the men's final of the 400m while Esther Elo Joseph will race for a podium finish in the women's 400m event.

All eyes will be on Ese Brume in the women's Long Jump final and Temitope Adeshina will want to write her name in gold in the women's High Jump.

Nine events will be decided on Sunday at the Championships.