Amusan, Ajayi, Ogazi Lead Nigeria’s Charge at World Athletics Ultimate Championship

Posted : 24 August 2026

Nigeria’s leading athletics stars will headline the country’s challenge at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, with Tobi Amusan, Kayinsola Ajayi, Nathaniel Ezekiel, Samuel Ogazi and Ella Onojuvwevwo among those currently qualified for the landmark competition.

The three-day championship, scheduled for September 11 to 13 at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, will assemble an unprecedented field of Olympic champions, World champions, Diamond League winners and the leading performers of the 2026 season.

The competition is designed to determine the ultimate champions in track and field, with a record prize purse of US10million.EachindividualgoldmedallistwillreceiveUS150,000.

Nigeria’s confirmed qualifiers are expected to face some of the biggest names in global athletics, including Olympic champions Mondo Duplantis, Noah Lyles, Julien Alfred, Faith Kipyegon, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Rai Benjamin and Marileidy Paulino.

World champions Femke Bol, Letsile Tebogo, Oblique Seville, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Nicola Olyslagers and Ditaji Kambundji are also among the athletes expected to compete.

For Nigeria, the championship represents an opportunity to showcase the depth of a new generation that has emerged alongside established stars such as Amusan.

Amusan remains one of the country's biggest medal prospects in Budapest. The world-record holder in the women's 100m hurdles owns the official mark of 12.12 seconds, set in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, where she subsequently won Nigeria's first women's World Championships gold medal.

A three-time Diamond League Final winner and World Championships silver medallist, Amusan currently sits second in the world rankings.

Ajayi, meanwhile, will enter the men's 100m as one of the fastest-rising sprinters on the international circuit. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a spectacular 2026 campaign, equalling Nigeria's national record of 9.84 seconds three times.

His latest 9.84-second performance came at the Novuna London Athletics Meet in July, where he defeated reigning world champion Oblique Seville. He had earlier recorded the same time to beat Seville at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene.

Ajayi's season has also included an NCAA title and two Diamond League victories, underlining his rapid emergence as one of the world's leading young sprinters.

Ezekiel will carry Nigeria's hopes in the men's 400m hurdles after a productive season that saw him claim Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow in 48.47 seconds.

The hurdler, who first broke the Nigerian record with 48.42 seconds after winning the 2022 Big 12 title, has since lowered the national mark to 47.11 seconds. He currently ranks fourth in the world and is also a Diamond League meeting winner.

Ogazi's inclusion further strengthens Nigeria's prospects. The 20-year-old Commonwealth Games champion has enjoyed a remarkable rise, combining a Nigerian record of 43.38 seconds with a gold-medal performance of 44.25 seconds in Glasgow.

His Commonwealth Games final time was only 0.01 seconds outside the Games record, while his semi-final time of 44.52 seconds had been the fastest in the qualifying round.

Ogazi was also a finalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics and arrived in Glasgow ranked No. 1 in the world. His 43.38-second national record has established him among the leading young quarter-milers globally.

Onojuvwevwo completes Nigeria's current individual qualifiers and will provide another strong presence in the women's 400m.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season, becoming the first Nigerian woman since Falilat Ogunkoya's era to run under 50 seconds, clocking 49.59 seconds at the LSU Battle on the Bayou in April.

She also set an African indoor record of 50.28 seconds at the NCAA Indoor Championships before winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 51.00 seconds.

Nigeria's relay ambitions could further increase the size of the contingent, with Alaba Akintola, Udodi Onwuzurike, Favour Ashe, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Chigozie and Jennifer Obi Chukwuka among those in contention, subject to qualification and final selection.

The qualification window remains open until September 2, giving Nigeria an opportunity to add more names to its Budapest-bound delegation.

With a combination of established champions, record-breaking performers and emerging stars, Team Nigeria will be hoping its young generation can make a major statement when the world's athletics elite converge on Budapest.

The National Athletics Centre, built for the 2023 World Athletics Championships on the eastern bank of the Danube, will provide the stage for what promises to be one of the most prestigious athletics competitions of the year.

Amusan, Ajayi, Ogazi Lead Nigeria’s Charge at World Athletics Ultimate Championship

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