August 20, (THEWILL) – Former Nigerian champion Seye Ogunlewe has run his first sub-10 second 100-metre sprint, raising questions about his exclusion from Nigeria’s Paris Olympics team.
Ogunlewe recorded a wind-assisted time of 9.96 seconds at the NEB Open in Newham, UK, finishing second behind Great Britain’s Romell Glave. The performance comes after Ogunlewe was left out of Nigeria’s Olympic squad despite strong qualifying times.
In June, he ran 10.11 seconds and placed fourth at the Nigerian trials. He improved to 10.03 seconds in July but was still not selected for the 4x100m relay team.
At the Paris Olympics, Nigeria’s 100m representatives, Favour Ashe and Kanyinsola Ajayi, reached the semifinals. Ajayi matched his personal best of 10.00 seconds, while the third entry, Godson Brume, did not compete due to a late injury. The Nigerian 4x100m relay team failed to make the final.
Ogunlewe’s exclusion and subsequent fast time have drawn criticism of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria’s selection process. His form suggests he could have boosted Nigeria’s sprint performances in Paris, particularly in the relay event.
This only adds to recent controversies surrounding Nigerian athletics, including criticism from former sprinter Blessing Okagbare about the treatment of athlete Favour Ofili. It raises broader questions about talent management and selection policies in Nigerian track and field.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
