Athletics
Nigeria’s Onyekwere proves her power, in and out of the throws circle
BY MADELINE RYAN
“I am strong,” Chioma Onyekwere says before she steps into the ring. “I am powerful. I am explosive.”
It’s an affirmation for Onyekwere to prepare herself mentally during each performance. But there’s truth to it, too.
The 29-year-old Nigerian discus thrower demonstrated her strength when she broke the African record earlier this season with a 64.96m throw that surpassed the qualification standard for the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 in August.
Onyekwere has led a relentless career: as well as her area discus record she is a two-time African champion and last year she became the first Nigerian woman to win a discus title at the Commonwealth Games.
Beyond athletics, Onyekwere possesses a talent for mechanical engineering, which was her field of study in college. Moments not spent training for international competition are dedicated to her full-time work as an automotive engineer at Ford Motors.
But while her abilities in the circle stand out, her determination and leadership also warrants attention.
Two years ago, a lost opportunity lowered her hopes to the point of almost quitting the sport. But today, she speaks confidence into each attempt and sets an example for younger throwers.
“I can do this,” she says to herself now when she shakes out before competition. “And I’m capable of much more.”
Chioma Onyekwere competes at the World Athletics Championships in Doha (© Getty Images)
Questioning everything
In 2021, Onyekwere was supposed to have her year of domination. She set a PB that season, opening up the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the Olympics in Tokyo. It would be her first Olympics.
She says it felt like she was really on her way to achieving her dreams.
But she arrived in Tokyo to discover that the unthinkable had happened – she and some of her fellow Nigerian athletes were ruled ineligible to compete because the Nigerian Federation had not met the minimum drug-testing requirements for 10 of its athletes.
Classed as a “Category A” country by the Athletics Integrity Unit, Nigeria was required to ensure that at least three no-notice out-of-competition tests were conducted on each of its athletes, no less than three weeks apart in the 10 months leading up to the Olympics.
Onyekwere returned home to Michigan feeling consumed by grief so heavy, she considered never throwing again.
“It was definitely a time to stop and just question everything,” Onyekwere says.
But as she reflected, she realised that she wanted control over her own throwing career.
“I love throwing,” she adds. “And I wouldn’t want to stop this just because something else was in play and prevented me from moving forward. I would like to end it on my own terms.”
Her re-commitment to the sport was more of a process than an immediate shift. The first time she stepped foot in the ring again after a two-month break, she broke down and “started bawling.”
“I had so much anxiety about coming back to track and field, and so much anxiety about competing in general,” she says.
She spent time rediscovering what she loved so much about athletics. A self-proclaimed “math person” at heart, Onyekwere dove into the data of her progress. She keeps a journal where she records each distance, each mistake and each adjustment.
She tracks her training schedule compared to competitions or rest days, then compiles all of this data into spreadsheets she can look back on.
“I like numbers. Numbers don’t lie. And it brings out my geeky side a little bit,” Onyekwere adds with a laugh.
In addition to quantitative data, she also keeps notes on her emotions and thoughts during each throw. Tension and stress lead to messy throws. But when she’s calm and having fun, everything clicks.
She says her affirmations about strength and power are an essential part of her routine to combat in-the-ring anxiety.
“I have to calm my spirit and calm myself down before entering the circle,” she says. “And then I just get after it.”
You can have it all
Onyekwere shifted her priorities when she entered her new era as an athlete. She now wants to support the dreams of the next generation of throwers – the dreams she has for herself are a way to show them what’s possible.
She started sharing videos of her throws on social media as a resource for younger throwers.
“It’s such an honour, and it’s so sweet, to be a role model for the throwers out there. That’s one of the things that just makes you want to keep going,” Onyekwere says.
Just a few hours before competing at the Oklahoma Throws Series meeting in April, a coach approached Onyekwere at the track.
“Hey, I have this young African American girl that I coach, and she’s just so inspired by you,” Onyekwere remembers him saying. “And she really looks up to you.”
That was exactly the encouragement Onyekwere needed. At that meeting, she accomplished one of her biggest career goals when she broke the African record – previously left untouched for 16 years – with a 64.96m throw.
She realised that her accomplishments have an audience. Young throwers, and specifically female throwers, were watching to see what she’d do next.
“I’m hoping to inspire lots of young girls pursuing throwing, or to pursue anything they’re interested in. I want to tell them, ‘You can really do it all,’” Onyekwere says. “‘You can have it all.’”
She’ll be the first to say that she wasn’t the strongest thrower in college. While competing for the University of Maryland, it took her a while to break out of the 40-metre range.
But as she transitioned into her professional throwing career – while also working as a full-time engineer throughout the week – she saw rapid improvement.
Onyekwere won her first senior African Championships title in 2018, only a couple of years into the professional landscape. She then competed at the World Championships in Doha in 2019, and broke the Nigerian record in 2021 as a qualifier for the Olympics. She successfully defended her African title in 2022.
Her performance at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 didn’t go as she had hoped when she didn’t make it through to the final, finishing with a mark of 57.87m.
But she came back strong later that season to win gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
So, what’s next for Onyekwere? She’s continuing to work full time at Ford Motors. Her area record-breaking throw was more than enough to qualify her for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where she’ll be chasing more improvements and hopefully more records. And she has her sights set on the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Most importantly, she wants her accomplishments to be a testament to the power of African women.
“I’ve said it before, but I really want to put Africa on the map and show that we’re a force to reckon with,” Onyekwere says. “We’re capable enough to have a seat at the table. And to do great things.”
–World Athletics
The Future Olympian Athletics Classic has been rescheduled from the first quarter of 2026 to the last quarter of the year, as organisers move to transform the meet into a truly national developmental programme spanning Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
In a statement signed by Bruce Ijirigho, a former quarter-miler and Team Nigeria captain to the 1976 Summer Olympics, the postponement was described as a strategic decision aimed at broadening participation and ensuring that young talents across the country are discovered and nurtured systematically.
The competition is being organised by the Youth Sports Renaissance Foundation (YSRF), a non-profit organisation registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission by Ijirigho, Godwin Obasogie and Charlton Ehizuelen. The foundation’s primary objective is to revive athletics, particularly at the secondary school level, and rebuild Nigeria’s once-thriving grassroots sports culture.
Ijirigho, who serves as Project Lead, explained that the initiative is not about creating something entirely new but about restoring a proven system that once produced champions.
“This competition is not about reinventing the wheel,” he said. “It is about bringing back the culture that ensured that my contemporaries and I were discovered early in secondary school, received the right coaching and academic support, and went on to earn scholarships while combining sports with education. Many of us later became national, continental and global champions.”
He identified early exposure and modern, age-appropriate coaching as the missing links in youth development across Nigeria and much of Africa.
“The bane of sports in Nigeria and many African countries is that our youth don’t get opportunities early enough and lack modern coaching techniques that accelerate their development,” Ijirigho stated.
According to him, the Future Olympian Athletics Classic will go beyond competition by incorporating international coaching clinics designed to transfer contemporary skills and knowledge to Games masters and grassroots coaches nationwide.
“The Classic will not only discover talents in their early teens but also upgrade the capacity of our coaches. That way, we will nurture them properly to become Olympians and world beaters in their late teens and early twenties. This programme is strictly for high school students because it is developmental.”
The decision to expand the event to all six geopolitical zones, he noted, reflects a commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity.
“Talents abound in every nook and cranny of the country. There are middle- and long-distance runners, sprinters, quarter-milers, jumpers and hurdlers who were either not discovered at all or discovered too late. With this postponement, we can widen the tent and give every Nigerian child a fair chance.”
Ijirigho expressed confidence that with proper planning and sustained grassroots investment, Nigeria can reclaim its place at the summit of global athletics.
“We have what it takes to dominate athletics worldwide. All we need is to get our development programme right. The Future Olympian Athletics Classic will lay that foundation for our youth and for the country when it begins in the last quarter of 2026.”
With its expanded national scope and emphasis on structured youth development, the initiative signals a renewed push to reposition Nigerian athletics for long-term global success.
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Kenya’s Ezra Kipchumba Kering delivered a commanding Valentine’s Day performance to win the 11th edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon on Saturday.
Kipchumba surged to the finish line at Eko Atlantic City in an impressive time of 2:11:55, clinching the $50,000 winner’s prize in one of Africa’s most prestigious road races. His decisive kick in the closing stages sealed a memorable triumph in a fiercely contested men’s elite race.
Uganda completed a strong showing on the podium, with Lomoi Samuel finishing just four seconds behind the winner in 2:11:59, while compatriot Namutala Kephar Lumbasi secured third place in 2:12:25 to underline East Africa’s dominance in the men’s event.
The Gold Label marathon, organised by Nilayo Sports Management Limited under the leadership of Managing Director Mrs Yetunde Olopade, once again lived up to its billing as a premier long-distance spectacle, attracting top-tier athletes from across the continent and beyond.
In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Dinke Meseret Meleka claimed top honours, crossing the line in 2:37:36 after a determined run. Kenya’s Daniel Flomena Cheyech followed closely in 2:37:43, while Ethiopia’s Getaw Wgagen Zewdalem finished third in 2:38:59 to complete a tightly fought podium finish.
With another thrilling chapter added to its history, the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon reaffirmed its growing stature as a leading destination for elite runners and a major highlight on Africa’s athletics calendar.
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By Kunle Solaja.
The organisers of the gold-labelled Access Bank Lagos City Marathon have described Saturday’s 11th edition as an iconic milestone that ushers in a new decade for one of Africa’s most prestigious road races.
Speaking at a press conference held at the headquarters of Access Bank in Lagos, the Managing Director of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, Mrs Yetunde Olopade, said the 2026 edition represents growth, resilience and renewed ambition for the marathon.
“This 11th edition is symbolic for us. It is not just another race; it signals the beginning of another decade of excellence, impact and global recognition for the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon,” Olopade said.
She expressed appreciation to Access Bank, corporate sponsors and the Lagos State Government for their unwavering support and commitment to the annual event.
“We are deeply grateful to Access Bank, our valued sponsors and the Lagos State Government for their consistency and belief in this vision. Together, we have built one of the most revered road races in Africa, and this year’s event will be nothing short of world-class,” she added.
Olopade assured runners, partners and spectators of a top-quality race that would further consolidate the marathon’s international standing and enhance its global profile.
Also speaking at the event, the Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, commended the organisers for their professionalism and dedication, noting that the marathon has continued to elevate Lagos’ image globally.
“The Lagos State Government remains fully committed to supporting the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon because it continues to put Lagos on the global map in a positive light,” Fatodu said.
“This race is more than a sporting event; it is a celebration of our culture, resilience and capacity to host world-class events. We will continue to provide the enabling environment for it to thrive.”
Adding his voice, Dr Nadeem Khan, President of the International Association of Ultra Runners, described the marathon’s evolution over the years as remarkable.
“The progression I have seen at the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon is truly phenomenal. Year after year, the race keeps improving in standards, organisation and global appeal,” Khan said.
The 2026 edition is expected to attract elite athletes from across the world, further reinforcing the marathon’s reputation as one of Africa’s leading road races and a flagship sporting event for Nigeria.
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