AMUSAN LEADS NIGERIAN STARS TO DIAMOND LEAGUE BATTLE IN POLAND

By: Gyang Dakwo

World record holder Tobi Amusan will lead Nigeria’s charge at the 12th leg of the 2025 Diamond League in Silesia, Poland, on Saturday 16 August, as four of the nation’s top athletes go all out to secure vital points which will qualify them for the season-ending final in Zurich.

Amusan heads to Poland fresh from winning her fifth national title in Lagos, and she is chasing a record-extending fourth Diamond Trophy. This would firmly place her among the most successful hurdlers in Diamond League history.

The women’s 100 metres hurdles in Silesia will be her sixth outing in the series this year. She has already won in Rabat in May, run a season’s best of 12.24 seconds in Paris, and taken second place in Oregon in July with a time of 12.38 seconds.

Currently ranked 10th in the world, Amusan is second on the Diamond League points table for her event with 17 points. She sits ahead of Nadine Visser of the Netherlands but trails Grace Stark of the United States who leads with 35 points.

A strong finish in Silesia could seal Amusan’s place in the Zurich final, although she will face tough rivals including Masai Russell of the United States, Ackera Nugent of Jamaica, and 2023 world champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica.

Joining her in Poland is Favour Ofili who will compete in the women’s 200 metres for the first time in this year’s Diamond League. The 22-year-old, who will move to Turkey next season, is 17th in the 100 metres standings with four points after finishing fifth in her debut at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon.

Although she is yet to be ranked in the 200 metres, Ofili will go up against a strong field led by Brittany Brown of the United States, Daryll Neita of Britain, and Shericka Jackson of Jamaica who is the second fastest woman in history over the distance.

Ezekiel Nathaniel will also feature in Silesia as he makes his second Diamond League appearance as a professional.

After a remarkable college season in the United States that earned him a Bowerman Award finalist nomination, the 22-year-old 400 metres hurdler impressed on his debut in Oregon where he placed third in 47.88 seconds to earn six points. He is currently 15th in the standings and will face world record holder and Olympic champion Karsten Warholm of Norway, Abderrahman Samba of Qatar, and Roshawn Clarke of Jamaica.

In the men’s shot put, African record holder Chukwuebuka Enekwechi is pushing to strengthen his Zurich qualification hopes. The 31-year-old sits sixth in the standings with nine points after breaking both the Nigerian and African records in Oregon with a throw of 22.10 metres. In Silesia, he will battle against Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri and Joe Kovacs of the United States in what promises to be a clash of heavyweights.

For Amusan, Ofili, Nathaniel, and Enekwechi, the Silesia meet is more than just another Diamond League stop. It is a decisive chance to remain in the race for the prestigious Diamond Trophy and a share of the 2.24 million US dollars prize pool.