Nigeria duo miss podium as Amusan remains lone medalist at Ultimate Championship
Nigerian athletes Ezekiel Nathaniel and Udodi Onwuzurike ended their campaigns without podium finishes at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday.
Onwuzurike, Nigeria’s representative in the men’s 200m, finished eighth in the final after clocking 20.45 seconds.
American Kenny Bednarek claimed the title in a world-leading 19.52 seconds, while Botswana’s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo took silver in 19.76 seconds. Another American, Courtney Lindsey, completed the podium in 19.79 seconds.
Nathaniel also missed out on a medal in the men’s 400m hurdles, finishing sixth in 48.23 seconds.
Brazilian Alison dos Santos took the gold medal in 45.98 seconds, with American Rai Benjamin finishing second in 46.40 seconds. Norway’s Karsten Warholm settled for third in 46.78 seconds.
With both athletes failing to make the podium, Tobi Amusan remained the only Nigerian to secure a medal at the championship.
Amusan claimed silver in the women’s 100m hurdles on Friday, clocking 12.34 seconds to finish behind American Masai Russell, who won in 12.22 seconds.
The Nigerian star earned $75,000 for her second-place finish, while Russell collected the $150,000 winner’s prize.
Earlier, Nigerian record-holder Kayinsola Ajayi narrowly missed out on a medal in the men’s 100m final on Saturday.
Ella Onojuvwevwo was Nigeria’s final athlete in individual action at the championship but failed to qualify for the women’s 400m final.
Nigeria’s mixed 4x100m relay team was also unable to compete after visa complications disrupted the travel plans of three members of the squad.
The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship featured the richest prize purse in athletics history, with a total of $10 million on offer.
Individual event winners received $150,000, while the runners-up earned $75,000, and third-place finishers took home $40,000. In the relay events, the winning team shared an $80,000 prize.
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