By BABATUNDE OGUNRINDE

Nigeria’s outing at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships ended with one silver medal, flashes of brilliance, and renewed questions about systemic weaknesses in sports administration.

Tobi Amusan once again proved Nigeria’s most dependable global athlete. She claimed silver in the women’s 100m hurdles, clocking 12.29 seconds, narrowly missing gold but reaffirming her world-class status.

Amusan, visibly emotional, admitted she had carried immense expectations. “I put the whole country on my back,” she said, describing the pressure and eventual relief of medalling.

Though silver is commendable, Amusan confessed disappointment at missing gold. “I wasn’t leaving here without the gold; but I’ll take the silver,” she told journalists afterwards.

Her podium finish, Nigeria’s only medal in Tokyo, stood in sharp contrast to Budapest 2023, where the country’s 27 athletes failed to secure any medal at all.

Ezekiel Nathaniel emerged as another bright star. The 21-year-old broke the national 400m hurdles record, running 47.11 seconds, but heartbreakingly finished fourth, missing bronze by the slimmest margin.

Nathaniel’s performance was historic. No Nigerian has been this close to the 400m hurdles podium at the World Championships in decades, signalling a promising new chapter in the discipline.

Field events also brought pride. Shot put specialist Chukwuebuka Enekwechi recorded a season’s best throw of 21.52 metres, finishing fifth in a highly competitive final dominated by Olympic champions.

For Enekwechi, the fifth-place finish highlighted consistency at global level. Though he has not yet clinched a World Championships medal, his performances confirm Nigeria’s potential in technical field events.

Sprint hopeful Kanyinsola Ajayi electrified fans by reaching the men’s 100m final. Clocking 10.00 seconds, he finished sixth, becoming Nigeria’s first finalist in that event since 2007.

Ajayi’s qualification and final race brought optimism about the country’s sprinting revival. His performance broke an 18-year drought, showing that Nigerian men can still contend among sprinting’s global elite.

Another sprinter, Israel Okon, impressed in the heats. He ran 10.04 seconds to win against established names, underlining Nigeria’s hidden sprint depth, though he later missed the final cut.

In the 200m, Udodi Onwuzurike reached the semi-finals but failed to qualify for the final. His 20.26-second semi-final run reflected promise yet left room for growth.

Altogether, Nigeria’s Tokyo 2025 delegation featured 15 athletes, seven women and eight men. This was notably smaller than the 27-athlete team dispatched to Budapest two years earlier.

The reduction in squad size was partly due to qualification challenges and administrative shortcomings. Nigeria fielded competitors mainly in sprints, hurdles, jumps, and throws, but glaringly missed all relay events.

Relay absence was striking. Historically, relays have been a dependable medal avenue for Nigeria. In Tokyo, administrative lapses and visa denials at the World Relays blocked qualification outright.

Athletics Federation of Nigeria faced heavy criticism for these failures. Analysts argued poor planning undermined athletes’ chances, costing Nigeria exposure, medals, and vital experience in relay competition.

In spite of administrative turbulence, individual athletes showcased resilience. Nathaniel’s record-breaking run, Ajayi’s sprint breakthrough, and Enekwechi’s consistency underscored raw talent capable of flourishing with proper support and infrastructure.

Comparisons with past editions reveal mixed fortunes. In Eugene 2022, Amusan stunned the world by winning gold and setting a world record, while Ese Brume secured silver in long jump.

Those achievements raised expectations sky-high. However, Budapest 2023 saw the team return empty-handed, sparking criticism. Tokyo’s single silver represented partial redemption but failed to match the Eugene high-water mark.

From one angle, Tokyo 2025 was progress compared with Budapest. Nigeria returned home with a medal despite fielding fewer athletes. Yet, the overall tally fell below 2022’s two-medal performance.

The Championships therefore reinforced a troubling pattern: Nigeria often relies disproportionately on Amusan for global recognition, with few others consistently breaking into medal contention.

This reliance raises sustainability concerns. What happens after Amusan’s eventual retirement? Who shoulders the burden of medals when today’s stars fade? These questions lingered as Tokyo drew to a close.

Still, Nathaniel’s record run hinted at a possible successor narrative. Young, hungry, and unafraid, he symbolises a new generation capable of breaking Nigeria’s overdependence on one or two stars.

Similarly, Ajayi’s 100m exploits rekindled belief in Nigerian sprinting. Though finishing sixth, his final appearance reminded fans of Nigeria’s once-proud tradition in men’s short sprints.

Enekwechi’s throws reinforce another overlooked lesson: Nigeria possesses talent outside sprinting. His steady global top-eight finishes underline that investment in field events could yield broader medal prospects.

Beyond the athletes, Tokyo 2025 reignited debate about Nigerian sports governance. Experts lamented administrative blunders, especially relay disqualification, warning these systemic issues could stall further progress.

Critics argue Nigerian athletics remains hampered by inadequate funding, inconsistent planning, and bureaucratic inefficiencies. Tokyo results, they say, prove that talent exists but thrives despite, not because of, official support.

Amusan’s story exemplifies this tension. Her global excellence emerged through personal sacrifice and foreign training support, not local systems. Analysts warn over-reliance on such self-driven athletes is unsustainable.

International comparisons are sobering. Countries with fewer resources still manage to structure athlete pipelines effectively. Nigeria’s persistent organisational lapses leave many questioning whether potential medals are being squandered.

Yet Tokyo 2025 also provided reasons for optimism. A small squad produced one medal, two near-podium finishes, and a historic sprint final, suggesting foundations for future growth.

Analysts believe targeted reforms could transform these flashes into consistent results. Investment in coaching, facilities, and youth programmes, alongside stable leadership, could harness Nigeria’s evident reservoir of athletic talent.

Fans will remember Tokyo 2025 for Amusan’s silver and Nathaniel’s heartbreak, but also for glimpses of renewal through Ajayi and the promise of balanced event representation.

As Nigeria reflects on this campaign, the lesson is clear: talent abounds, but without structural reform, medals will remain occasional rather than consistent. The clock is ticking.

For now, Nigeria leaves Tokyo with pride and regret mingled — pride in athletes’ resilience, regret at missed chances — a familiar tale in the country’s athletics journey. (NAN)