Nigerian sprinter Enoch Adegoke, a finalist in the 100m at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, aims to secure a spot on the Nigerian team for the Paris 2024 Games after delivering a season’s best performance of 10.20s at the MTN Champs athletics meet in Ibadan,
Adegoke’s victory in the men’s 100m final, where he clocked 10.20s, marked his fastest time in nearly three years since his injury during the Tokyo Olympics final on August 1, 2021.
Adekalu Fakorede, a member of Nigeria’s 4x100m gold-winning team at the 2023 African Games in Ghana, finished second with a personal best of 10.23s, while Olaolu Olatunde set a new personal best of 10.47s to secure third place.
Adegoke expressed confidence that his recent win is a significant step towards his goal of representing Nigeria again in Paris.
As the son of the soil, I feel proud of winning in Ibadan. I feel good, and running a season’s best was one of my targets. I came targeting 10.00s or 10.01s, actually, but I’m happy with the time I ran. Everything is in progress; I know the time is still coming,” the 24-year-old said
“Coming from Dynamics Meet to the National Trials, I just thank God that I am beating down the time. It’s a sign of good things to come, and I’m not rushing myself while I put my mind to it at the same time,” he added
With athletes like Favour Ashe, who recently set a world-leading time of 9.99s, along with national champion and African Games silver medallist Usheoritse Itsekiri, and emerging star Consider Ekanem, Adegoke acknowledges the stiff competition. However, he believes that competing against such talented athletes will drive him to excel.
He said, “The 100m in Nigeria is very competitive, and that has kept me on my toes with the feeling that I have to sit tight and not be lackadaisical.
“Being at the Olympics again is very important; you know, being an Olympian is a great feat, but attending more than once is a greater feat, and this time around, not just as a finalist but as a medalist.”
At the Tokyo Games, which were held in 2021, Adegoke became the 11th Nigerian to break the 10s barrier in the men’s 100m when he ran 9.98s in the semi-finals, and he also became the third Nigerian to reach the 100m final at the Olympics after Davidson Ezinwa and Olapade Adeniken.
