Favour Ofili has returned to the top of Nigeria’s women’s 200m rankings after producing a season-leading performance at the Tom Jones Memorial meet in the United States.
The 23-year-old clocked 22.46 seconds in the Olympic Development section of the event, finishing third in her heat despite running into a strong -2.0 m/s headwind. She crossed the line behind her Adidas training partner McKenzie Long, who won in 22.42 seconds, and Mariah Maxwell, who followed in 22.44, with both athletes benefiting from more favourable wind conditions.
Ofili’s time was enough to move her ahead of Kelly Ufodiama (22.53) as Nigeria’s fastest woman over the distance so far in 2026, continuing a trend of dominance that has seen her finish as the country’s top 200m runner every year since 2021.
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She is now expected to represent Nigeria at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, after World Athletics declined her proposed switch of nationality to Turkey. Her consistency at the top level dates back to her breakthrough 22.23-second run at the World U20 Championships in Kenya, while she also holds the Nigerian national record at 21.96 seconds.
Elsewhere at the meet in Gainesville, Olayinka Olajide recorded a wind-assisted 22.76 seconds to finish ninth overall in the women’s invitational 200m. Success Oyibu (22.99) and Esther Joseph (23.09) also posted wind-aided times, placing 16th and 21st respectively.
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In the men’s event, reigning Nigerian 100m champion Israel Okon delivered one of the standout performances of the meet, winning the 200m invitational in 20.27 seconds (+1.6). The time stands as both the Nigerian and collegiate lead this season, underlining his growing status on the sprint circuit.
