Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi delivered a season’s best throw of 21.25m to finish fifth in the shot put event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, on Sunday.
Enekwechi, who was Nigeria’s only representative at the championship, narrowly missed out on a podium finish in what was his best-ever result at an international tournament.
The event was won by New Zealand’s Tom Walsh, who reclaimed his third world indoor title with a mark of 21.65m (SB). USA’s Roger Steen (21.62m SB) and Adrian Piperi (21.48m) took silver and bronze, respectively.
The 32-year-old Enekwechi was supposed to be part of a 10-man Nigerian contingent, but visa and travel difficulties left him as the lone competitor in China.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) had initially registered 10 athletes, but the failure to secure visas and tickets meant that only Enekwechi made the trip.
The setback frustrated many athletes, including African Games 400m gold medallist, Chidi Okezie, who expressed his disappointment over being registered for only the 4x400m relay and not the 400m individual event.
“As I was heading to this meet, I found out that I wasn’t entered in the 400m while in the airport. I was only supposed to run the relays. I told them I’m running the 400m,” Okezie said.
Before the travel crisis, the AFN had even considered pulling out of the championship entirely due to a busy schedule for many Nigerian athletes competing in the NCAA.
With Enekwechi finishing fifth, Nigeria’s participation at the first major international athletics meet of the year ended on a disappointing note.
The visa debacle raises further concerns over the AFN’s preparedness for upcoming competitions, especially with the 2025 outdoor season and the Paris 2024 Olympics fast approaching.
