Highly promising Rosemary Chukwuma and Blessing Ogundiran both face daunting challenges from Nigerian-born opponents among their rivals for spots in the women’s 100m final at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Sports247 reports that Chukwuma will run for one of two spots from her heat with Mabel Akande of England among the opponents she will come up against On Tuesday, while Ogundiran will have to ward off pressure from Sade McCreath of Canada among five others.
McCreath is a 30-year-old sprinter from Ajax, Ontario, who competed over 60m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland and 2024 Olympics, set a new Canadian national record for the 100m early this year, then won the 100 metres at the inaugural Pan American Championships.
Akande is a 19-year-old from Lincolnshire, who won a silver medal in 4x100m at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, placed third at the 2024 British Indoor Athletics Championships in 60m and was a silver medalist at the 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships over 100 metres.
Despite the odds from their ‘compatriots’ representing other countries, Chukwuma and Ogundiran are top favourites for heroics on Tuesday, as Team Nigeria fields three athletes in the women’s 100 metres semi-finals, with great expectations also hanging on the shoulders of Miracle Oluebube Ezechukwu.
Chukwuma is drawn in semi-final one, where she will run from lane four against a quality field that includes Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye, Australia’s Torrie Lewis, Jamaica’s Jodean Williams, Canada’s Audrey Leduc and England’s Akande.
Ogundiran will also start from lane four in semi-final two against England’s Imani Lansiquot, Australia’s Ebony Lane, Barbados’ Kishawna Niles, Trinidad & Tobago’s Leah Bertrand as well as Canada’s McCreath, in her bid to secure a spot in the final.
On her part, Ezechukwu will feature in semi-final three, where she will run from lane six against Jamaica’s Jonielle Smith, New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs, Australia’s Georgia Harris, Singapore’s Veronica Shanti Pereira and Canada’s Gabrielle Cole.
However, the day’s events will start with the women’s 400 metres first round, in which Nigeria’s Patience Okon George will compete from lane six in Heat 2, with the experienced quartermiler heading into the race on the stregnth of a season’s best 51.41 seconds, as she seeks a semi final ticket.
Another Nigerian quartermiler, Esther Elo Joseph will feature from lane two in Heat 3, buoyed by a season’s best of 50.97 seconds and with a huge target of snatching one of the automatic qualification spots for Wednesday’s final of the women’s 400m.
While taking a look at the day’s schedule, the chairman of Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) media committee, Maxwell Kumoye noted that, with three of the country’s sprinters competing in different semi-finals, the country can have a trio in the women’s 100m final, thereby boosting hopes of a medal.
Kumoye added, “Attention will also be on the field, as Temitope Adeshina competes in the women’s high jump final. Adeshina has cleared 1.97m this season and enters the contest with genuine hopes of reaching the podium, (while) Oyesade Olatoye goes into the women’s hammer throw with a Season Best of 70.46m.”
