27/09/2025
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce : A career worthy of emulation
There are moments in Sports that every nation wishes a particular athlete represented them.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is such an athlete, but these desires don't come when the athlete is still unknown.
She entered the global stage as a reserve in 2007 in Japan as part of the 1,817 athletes in Osaka at the World Championships.
Though she got a silver medal in the 4x100m among the notables like Veronica Campbell but no worthy mention of her name.
Then she was just Shelly-Ann Fraser.
From relative obscurity to global stardom, what can be more surprising in athletics at the Beijing Olympics?
85 competitors from 69 nations participated in women's 100m events at the 29th Olympic Games, Against all analysis, forecast and predictions for the race, the fifth foot athlete won the gold medal in a personal best of 10.78s
Though the winning margin was 0.20 seconds, Jamaicans dominated the podium as no bronze medal was awarded officially as both Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart finished in a time of 10.98s.
The victory for the young lady made her the first woman from the Caribbean to win the 100m Gold at the Olympics.
If winning the 100m Gold was a shock, how can we describe what happened four years after at the London 2012 Summer Olympics?
Phenomenal, Magnificent, Unequalled, name it
Before London 2012, there was only one female athlete that has defended the women's 100m final at the Olympics, America's Gails Devers became the first at the Atlanta 96 Olympics after defending the title, she won at the Barcelona 92.
16 years later, In lane 6 at Olympics stadium in London , stood Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce , now married , beside her in lane 7 is Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare , the race is one of the most competitive women's 100 race in history as a record number of six competitors bettered the 11 seconds barrier in an Olympic final for the first time.
It was a knife edge finish as the Jamaica won in 10.70s , 0.03s of America's Carmelita Jeter , whom the former picked as her greatest and fearful rival in her career , while Veronica Campbell-Brown finished third in 10.81s
The race witnessed several personal best times with the USA's duo of Tianna Madison and Allyson Felix, who finished in fourth and fifth respectively.
After the victory, the Jamaican became the second woman to defend the 100m at the Olympics , the two Africans in the highly competitive lineup finished seventh and eighth respectively .
Known as the 'The Pocket Rocket', the diminutive five-foot tall went on in her Olympics career to win a total of 3 Gold , 4 Silver and a bronze medal.
At the Lussiane Diamond League in Switzerland in 2021, the Jamaican recorded the third fastest time in the history of the women's 100m in a time of 10.60s to become the third fastest woman in the 100m behind compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah(10.54s) and USA's Florence Griffith-Joyner (10.49s).
Her World Championships success was a remarkable journey , at the 2019 World Championships, Fraser-Pryce made history by becoming the first mother and the oldest woman to win the 100m sprint .
At the end of her career , which was at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo a few weeks ago, the pride of the Caribbean has a vault full of medals that includes, 10 Gold, 6 silver and one bronze medal.
Welcome Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States , Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia and Jamaica’s Tina Clayton.
22/09/2025
Ezekiel Nathaniel: Nigeria, behold your next World Champion
Every race, Nigeria's Ezekiel Nathaniel has competed in the 400 metres hurdles with Olympic champion Rai Benjamin, the third fastest athlete in the history of the event, Brazil's Alison do Santos - a bronze medalist from the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, and Norwegian Karsten Warholm, Olympic and World record holder, - the Texas based NCAA champion is always sixth or fifth metres behind them.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, during the semifinals, the Nigerian finished fifth (48.65) behind Karsten Warlholm, Clement Ducos and Alison do Santos and could not qualify for the final.
I guess it was after the race that he made up his mind about what his target for 2025 will be.
Now in 2025
Ezekiel Nathaniel has broken the Nigerian record in the 400mH six times, the Nigerian record holder is 0.01s away from the African record set by Zambia's Samuel Matete 34 years ago.
Congratulations in advance to the next African record holder in the 400mH
Just a few days ago at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Nathaniel found himself as he desired in the midst of the champions of the event, he finished in fourth place ahead of Norwegian Karsten Warholm, Olympic and World record holder but behind Olympic Champion Rai Benjamin, who is the North, Central American and Carribbean record holder, South America record holder, Alison Dos Santos and Asia Record holder, Abderrahman Samba from Qatar, who won Gold, Silver and Bronze medal respectively.
After almost thirty years of seeing a Nigerian at the finals of the 400mH at the World Championships, Ezekiel was 0.05s from being the first Nigerian to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships at the 400 m H event.
In his first World Championship in Budapest, the 22-year-old reached the semifinals but was 0.59s shy of winning Nigeria's second Gold at the world championships.
The city of Beijing will host the next World Athletics Championship, a medal awaits Nigeria's Ezekiel Nathaniel even the Gold medal.
Nigeria behold your next World Athletics Champion - Ezekiel Nathaniel.
16/09/2025
Ditaji Kambundji: from nowhere to win Gold.
Surprise, Surprise
Arguably the biggest shock at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Let's start.
How did I notice Ditaji Kambundji, aside from her name, I always observe that she finishes 7th or 8th at major championships. I became pathetic when I saw her run.
In most events, regardless of how fierce the lineup, I am always certain that the Swiss will finish far away from the medal table and she always proves me right.
She's never favourite in the women's 100m hurdles.
Regardless of my accuracy I am always baffled about her consistency.
Three years ago in Eugene, the 23-year-old finished 13th and could not qualify for the final, when Nigeria's Tobi Amusan won Gold.
A year later in Budapest, she finishes 7th behind Tobi Amusan while Danielle Williams of Jamaica won Gold.
Just yesterday, at Tokyo's National Stadium, the 23-year-old, to the surprise of tens of thousands of spectators and to her disbelief, defeated both reigning world and Olympic champions for her first major international championship.
Kambundji crossed the line with a personal record of 12.24 edging Nigeria's Tobi Amusan.
Just like the Nigerian, Kambundji became the first Swiss to win Gold at the World Athletics Championships in a sprint discipline.
Before the biggest shock of the world championships in Tokyo, Kambundji arrived in Tokyo with the tenth-best time of the season (12.40) among all hurdlers and sprinters.
She definitely came out of nowhere to win the women's 100m hurdles gold.
18/08/2025
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