Nigeria’s second fastest 200m sprinter of all-time, U.S.-based Udodi Onwuzurike, is going professional any time from now.
He missed the golden chance to compete for the second time in the Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August.
Onwuzurike, who ran 19.76 seconds in the 200m earlier this year, failed to recover from an injury he sustained while completing in the NCAA in the United States.
He came to Nigeria for the National Trials in June and was part of the nation’s 4x100m relay team to the African Region 2 competition in Lome, Togo.
Onwuzurike and another U.S.-based sprinter, Godson Brume, could not make the party in Budapest.
However, the former world U-20 champion, who won the 200m title at the 2023 NCAA outdoor track and field Championships in June, is said to have commenced his journey to become a professional athlete, where he will compete and earn money from big events like the Diamond league.
A source close to the athlete told The Guardian, yesterday, that Onwuzurike has put behind the disappointment of not featuring in Championships in Budapest.
“He is doing well in training. If things work out well, Udodi will be one of the athletes to watch out for at the Olympic Games in Paris. I am not too sure of his availability for the African Games in Ghana unless things change.
“The Sports Ministry and the AFN need to reach out to Nigerian athletes in the U.S. as quickly as possible because time is not on our side,” the source stated.
The Guardian recalls that Onwuzurike made his debut for Team Nigeria at the 2021 U-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, where he dazzled the entire world, winning the 200m gold. He was also part of Nigeria’s contingent to the 2022 Championships at Oregon, United States in 2022.
Before the championship in Budapest, he was ranked the fifth fastest athlete and joint 26th in the world all-time ranking.
