Ofili, Nathaniel Diamond League debuts in Eugene is set

Nigeria is set to make a strong impression at the landmark 50th edition of the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, with five top athletes—led by Favour Ofili and Ezekiel Nathaniel—competing against an elite field that includes 14 current world record holders.

Both Ofili and Nathaniel will mark a significant milestone in their careers as they make their Diamond League debuts at the iconic Hayward Field, joining a lineup of global athletics greats.

Also flying the Nigerian flag at the prestigious meet are world record holder and three-time Diamond League winner Tobi Amusan, world No. 7 shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, and experienced sprinter Rosemary Chukwuma.

Nathaniel enters the competition in superb form, having won the NCAA title in the men’s 400m hurdles earlier this year at the same venue with a time of 47.49 seconds. Earlier in the season, he set a new African indoor record in the 400m with an impressive 44.74 seconds. His standout performances earned him the NCAA Men’s Track Athlete of the Year award.

The 21-year-old will now line up against some of the sport’s biggest names in the 400m hurdles, including Olympic champion Rai Benjamin, World Championship bronze medallist Alison dos Santos, and Qatari veteran Abderrahman Samba.

Meanwhile, Favour Ofili is set to compete in the highly anticipated women’s 100m, which features a rematch of the 2024 Olympic medalists. She will race against Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, American sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson, and Olympic bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.

Tobi Amusan, who famously broke the 100m hurdles world record at this venue in 2022 with a time of 12.12 seconds, returns to familiar ground. She’ll take on a formidable field that includes reigning Olympic champion Masai Russell and Tokyo 2020 gold medallist turned Paris 2024 bronze medallist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico.

In the men’s shot put, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will challenge some of the sport’s most dominant figures, such as Americans Joe Kovacs and Ryan Crouser, and Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell. Enekwechi heads into the competition with a season-best throw of 21.62m and boasts a lifetime best of 21.91m.

Rosemary Chukwuma, a former Youth Olympic champion and 2019 African Games gold medallist, will feature in the women’s 100m invitational race. With a personal best of 10.88 seconds, she faces a quality field including Aleia Hobbs, Natasha Morrison, and Alana Reid.

The Prefontaine Classic—named in honour of American long-distance legend Steve Prefontaine—will bring together nearly 300 athletes from more than 40 nations. The one-day event will feature 27 professional events, including 17 Diamond League disciplines, and showcase 98 Olympic and Paralympic medallists, among them 48 gold medallists and 14 world record holders.

The competition is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm West Africa Time (WAT) and will be broadcast live around the world via NBC and the Diamond League’s YouTube channel for international audiences.