Team Nigeria’s Imaobong Nse Uko on Saturday won the gold medal in the women’s 400m event of the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.
Uko came to the Championships with the fastest time among the contenders following the 51.70secs she ran at the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival in April.
She lived up to pre-race hype by becoming the fourth Nigerian woman to win the event’s gold after Fatimah Yusuf in 1990 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Olabisi Afolabi in Lisbon, Portugal in 1994 and Folashade Abugan in 2008 in Poland.
The 17-year-old ran new 51.55secs personal best to achieve the feat.
The time further extended her record as the fastest U-18 athlete in the world in 2021 and the 17th fastest in the Nigerian all-time list.
Sylvia Chelangat of Kenya finished third in a time of 52.23.
Uko’s win is also her new personal career best.
An elated Uko after the race said the feat will definitely signal the beginning of greater heights in her career.
“It was very tough because of the weather. But this is just the beginning of great things in my career.
“My coach and I really worked hard on this. I’m so excited, and it will only get better.
“Coming here to make so much impact makes me feel so happy. It means more hard work, but the future is so bright,” she said.
NAN reports that Uko was part of the mixed relay team which earlier won a gold medal for Nigeria on the opening day of competition at the championships.
“My coach and I really worked hard on this, I’m so excited, and it will only get better.
“Coming here to make so much impact makes me feel so happy. It means more hard work, but the future is so bright.” she said.
Uko finished her secondary education at the Apostolic Church Secondary School, Ikot Oku Nsit. She was the Youth 400m champion at the Akwa Ibom Youth Sports Festival in 2018. She finished in second place at the meet the previous year.
At 14, she became the Nigeria National Sports Festival (NSF) Champion in the 400 metres, winning the title in a personal best of 52.36s.
The competition which began on Wednesday will end on Sunday.
