Nigerian Athletes Abroad: US Colleges, Diamond League and Europe
Every week, the results of Nigerian athletes in American universities, on the Diamond League circuit and in Europe, plus the stars of Nigerian heritage who compete for other nations.
34Nigerians at 2026 NCAA finals
4NCAA titles in 2026
9.84Ajayi’s 100m record
43.38Ogazi’s 400m
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi in Zürich, 2026. Photo: Quejaytee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Off-season review · checked 29 September 2026
This week: the 2026 season in review
The outdoor season is over: the Diamond League Final was held in Brussels, and US college athletes are back in autumn training. Here are the best marks of 2026 by Nigerian athletes abroad. From January, this table lists every weekend’s results from the NCAA indoor season and the World Indoor Tour.
Best marks of the 2026 season by Nigerian athletes based abroad. NR = Nigerian record; = equalled.
Date
Athlete
Meeting
Event
Mark
27 Aug 2026
Tobi Amusan
Weltklasse Zürich (Diamond League)
100m hurdles, 2nd
12.23
Jul 2026
Samuel Ogazi
Commonwealth Games, Glasgow
400m, gold
44.25
Jul 2026
Ezekiel Nathaniel
Commonwealth Games, Glasgow
400m hurdles, gold
48.47
Jul 2026
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi
Commonwealth Games, Glasgow
Shot put, gold
21.07m
18 Jul 2026
Kayinsola Ajayi
London Diamond League
100m, 1st
9.84 (NR =)
29 May 2026
Kayinsola Ajayi
NCAA season (Auburn)
100m, national record
9.84
Jun 2026
Temitope Adeshina
NCAA Championships, Eugene
High jump, NCAA champion
1.96m
Jun 2026
Chinecherem Nnamdi
NCAA Championships, Eugene
Javelin, NCAA champion
82.26m
Next update: week of 5 October 2026 (autumn road races and NCAA signings). Big performances also appear in our African Sports News.
Checked 29 September 2026
Nigerians in US college athletics (NCAA)
The NCAA indoor season starts in December. These are Nigeria’s leading college athletes and their best marks.
1
KA
Photo coming soon: we only use free-licence or credited photos
Kayinsola Ajayi
Auburn University, USA
100m and 60m
Nigerian roots: born in Ikorodu, Lagos State, in 2004.
9.84100m
6.4560m
NCAAchampion
Bests, 2026
Nigerian 100m record and African 60m record; beat world champion Oblique Seville to win in London.
2Photo: Charlyneros, CC0 (African Championships 2024), via Wikimedia Commons
Samuel Ogazi
University of Alabama, USA
400m
Nigerian roots: born in Nigeria in 2006.
43.38400m
44.57Indoor
2NCAA titles
Bests, 2026
Commonwealth champion and Bowerman Award finalist; the fourth-fastest 400m runner in history.
3Photo: CooperRiverRunner, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ezekiel Nathaniel
Baylor University, USA
400m hurdles
Nigerian roots: born in Nigeria in 2003.
47.11400mH
4thWorlds 2025
GoldGlasgow
Bests
2025 NCAA champion and Nigerian record holder.
4Photo: Charlyneros, CC0 (African Championships 2024), via Wikimedia Commons
Temitope Adeshina
Texas Tech University, USA
High jump
Nigerian roots: Nigerian international.
1.97mNigerian record
1.96mNCAA win
BronzeGlasgow
Bests
2026 NCAA high jump champion.
5Photo: Charlyneros, CC0 (Douala 2024), via Wikimedia Commons
Chinecherem Nnamdi
Texas A&M University, USA
Javelin
Nigerian roots: Nigerian international.
82.80mNigerian record
82.26mNCAA win
1stNigerian NCAA javelin champion
Bests
The first Nigerian man to win the NCAA javelin title (2026).
6
IO
Photo coming soon: we only use free-licence or credited photos
Israel Okon
Auburn University, USA
Sprints
Nigerian roots: Nigerian international.
9.99100m
19.94200m
SilverNCAA 200m
Bests
Reached the 2025 World Championships semi-finals.
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Nigerian professionals abroad
Nigerian internationals who train in the USA and race on the Diamond League circuit.
7Photo: Owula kpakpo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How many Nigerian athletes compete in US colleges?
Leadership Newspaper counted 34 Nigerians at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Stars include Kayinsola Ajayi and Israel Okon (Auburn), Samuel Ogazi (Alabama), Temitope Adeshina (Texas Tech) and Chinecherem Nnamdi (Texas A&M).
Which Nigerians won NCAA titles in 2026?
Kayinsola Ajayi (100m), Samuel Ogazi (400m), Temitope Adeshina (high jump, 1.96m) and Chinecherem Nnamdi (javelin, 82.26m) all won NCAA outdoor titles in Eugene in June 2026.
Which Olympic champions have Nigerian roots?
Yemisi Ogunleye, who has a Nigerian father, won shot put gold for Germany at Paris 2024. Annette Echikunwoke, born in the USA to Nigerian parents, won hammer silver for the USA in Paris after competing for Nigeria until 2021.
Is Favour Ofili still Nigerian?
Yes. Favour Ofili announced a switch to Turkey in 2025, but World Athletics’ Nationality Review Panel rejected it, and she has since raced as a Nigerian athlete in 2026.
