African Championships Day 2: Amusan and Ashe aim for gold medals

Nigerian athletes opened their campaigns strongly at the 2026 CAA African Senior Athletics Championships in Ghana, advancing to the next rounds of their respective events, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

World‑record holder Tobi Amusan comfortably qualified for the women’s 100m hurdles final, posting a season‑opening time of 12.82 seconds in the heats. It was her first hurdles race of the year.

Joining Amusan in the final is Janet Sunday, a first‑time participant at the African Championships, who finished second in her heat behind Ghanaian record holder Evonne Britton.

The men’s 100m featured a controversy when Favour Ashe was initially disqualified for a false start, only to be reinstated after Nigeria lodged an appeal. He then ran 10.55 seconds, ranking 24th overall and securing a place in Wednesday’s semi‑finals.

Reigning National Sports Festival champion Chidera Ezeakor also progressed to the semi‑finals, winning his heat in 10.38 seconds ahead of Ghana’s top sprinter Abdul‑Rasheed Saminu.

In the women’s 100m, Rosemary Chukwuma led the Nigerian contingent, comfortably qualifying for the semi‑finals with an 11.44‑second performance in Heat 2. Miracle Ezechukwu secured qualification by winning her heat, while Tejiri Ugoh claimed a third‑place finish that also ensured advancement.

Samson Nathaniel, Sikiru Adeyemi and Esther Okon all moved on to the next round of the 400m events. Nathaniel edged past Uganda’s Omuka Kenneth and Kenya’s Musika Malongo at the finish line to win his men’s 400m heat, while Adeyemi placed third in his heat, both guaranteeing further competition.

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