Chukwuebuka Enekwechi was Nigeria’s only athlete at the World Athletics Indoor Championship in China, and posted a season’s best of 21.25m to finish fifth in the final standings of the Shot Put event.
Enekwechi’s fifth place in the final table represents his best ever finish at a major competition, with a medal at the Championship in China just eluding him by 0.23m.
But why was Enekwechi Nigeria’s only representative in China for such a major competition? He was supposed to be in China with the likes of 400m indoor African record holder Ezekiel Nathaniel and African Games 400m gold medalist Chidi Okezie.
But 32-year-old Enekwechi was the only athlete representing Nigeria in China at the Championship because the alleged failure by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to make proper arrangement for the athletes’ visas and tickets for the competition.
10 athletes were listed as Nigeria’s representatives for the Championship by World Athletics, only for the issues in procuring visas putting paid to the participation of all but one athlete – Enekwechi – as Nigeria leaves another major competition without a medal to show.
Nigeria was expected to compete in the women’s 60m, women’s high jump, women’s long jump, men’s 400m, men’s shot put and men’s 4x400m relay.
Unfortunately, Success Umukoro, Temitope Adeshina, Ediddiong Udo, James Onwuka, Ifeanyi Ojeli, Joshua Caleb and Prestina Ochonogor were the other athletes along with Nathaniel and Okezie who were unable to make it to China.
There were also issues with proper registration of athletes slated to compete for Nigeria, with 400m gold medalist at the African Games, Chidi Okezie, calling out the AFN on this matter.
“As I was heading to this meet, I found out that I wasn’t entered in the 400m while in the airport. I was only supposed to run the relays. I told them I’m running the 400m,” Okezie said.