Nigeria will be strongly represented at the historic 50th edition of the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, as five athletes, headlined by Favour Ofili and Ezekiel Nathaniel, take centre stage individually alongside some of the biggest names in global athletics, including 14 world record holders.
Ofili and Nathaniel will both make their career debuts in the Diamond League circuit at Hayward Field to mark a major milestone in their rising international profiles.
They will be joined by 100m hurdles world record holder and three-time Diamond League champion Tobi Amusan, seventh-ranked shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, and seasoned sprinter Rosemary Chukwuma.
Nathaniel, the reigning NCAA 400m hurdles champion, has enjoyed a stellar 2025 season. He clinched the US collegiate title in Eugene with a time of 47.49s and earlier in the year set a new African indoor record in the 400m with a time of 44.74s.
His consistency on the American circuit earned him the NCAA Men’s Track Athlete of the Year award, and he will now test himself against global powerhouses including Olympic gold medallist Rai Benjamin, world bronze medallist Alison dos Santos, and Qatari star Abderrahman Samba.
Favour Ofili will line up in the women’s 100m, one of the meet’s most anticipated events, featuring a full rematch of the 2024 Olympic podium.
The Nigerian sprinter, who continues to lower her personal bests and build her résumé on the professional scene, will race against Saint Lucia’s Olympic gold medallist Julien Alfred, USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson, and bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.
Amusan returns to Hayward Field where she made history in 2022, shattering the world record with 12.12s. She is one of the headliners in the women’s 100m hurdles, which also features reigning Olympic champion Masai Russell of the United States and Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion and Paris 2024 bronze medallist.
In the men’s shot put, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will go head-to-head with the world’s best, including American duo Joe Kovacs and Ryan Crouser, and Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell.
Enekwechi, ranked seventh in the world, enters with a season’s best of 21.62m and remains Nigeria’s leading thrower with a personal best of 21.91m.
Rosemary Chukwuma, a former Youth Olympic champion and 2019 African Games gold medallist, will compete in the women’s 100m invitational event.
With a personal best of 10.88s, she will be looking to reassert herself on the international stage against a strong field that includes Aleia Hobbs, Natasha Morrison, and Alana Reid.
The Prefontaine Classic, named in honour of American distance legend Steve Prefontaine, will host nearly 300 athletes from over 40 countries.
It will feature 27 professional events, including 17 Diamond League disciplines. A total of 98 Olympic and Paralympic medallists, including 48 gold medallists and 14 world record holders, will compete, making this year’s edition one of the most talent-laden single-day track meets ever assembled.
The meet kicks off at 6:00 pm Nigeria time (WAT) and will be broadcast live globally, including on NBC and the Diamond League YouTube page for audiences outside the US.
