No Ofili as AFN picks Amusan, Brume, 13 others for Tokyo 2025 World Championships
Favour Ofili is conspicuous in her absence from a 15-man team named by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for the Tokyo 2025 World Championships. But there is room for 100m hurdles world record holder, Oluwatobilola Amusan and long jumper, Ese Brume, who has fully recovered from the I jury she sustained in a car crash recently.
The women’s line up include 100m star, Rosemary Chukwuma, Amusan, Brume, Prestina Ochonogor, who will join Brume in the long jump event, Chioma Onyekwere and Obiageri Amaechi in the discus, and Oyesade Olatoye in the hammer throw.
The men’s list has sprinters Kanyinsola Ajayi and Israel Okon (100m), Udodi Onwuzurike (200m), Samuel Ogazi and Chidi Okezie (400m), as well as Nathaniel Ezekiel, who will run in the 400m hurdles.
Listed for the field events are Charles Godfred (long jump), and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (shot put).
Ofili’s absence from the team may not be unconnected with her reported decision to switch allegiance to Turkey ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
Ofili reportedly began the nationality switch on May 31, 2025, and formally notified the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of her decision.
To qualify to represent Turkey, she must wait for a period of three years without competing for Nigeria. The Delta State-born athlete last competed for Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she could only run the 200 metres following the AFN’s omission of her name from the 100 metres list.
The World Championships will hold in Tokyo, Japan, from September 13 to 27, 2025.
