Fine margins deny Ofili, Enekwechi glory in Budapest News

Nigeria’s Favour Ofili and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi produced commendable performances at the 2025 Gyulai István Memorial in Budapest but fell just short of top spot in a meeting packed with world-class talent and record-breaking feats, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, held on Tuesday, drew an elite field across several disciplines, with the spotlight on Olympic medallists, continental champions and record holders. For Nigeria, Ofili and Enekwechi stood out in highly competitive contests, while Samuel Ogazi made his return to international action, and Kanyinsola Ajayi was forced to withdraw from the men’s 100m.

In the women’s 200m, Ofili matched Jamaica’s Ashanti Moore stride for stride in one of the evening’s closest finishes. Both athletes clocked 22.31s, but the Jamaican edged the win by the slimmest of margins after the photo finish review.

Moore’s time was a new personal best, while Ofili’s was her season’s best, marking an encouraging sign ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo next month, which is still under consideration due to her pending nationality switch from Nigeria to Turkey. Britain’s Daryll Neita completed the podium in 22.37s, with the rest of the field trailing behind, including Minke Bisschops of the Netherlands in fourth and Ivory Coast’s Jessika Gbai in sixth.

Enekwechi, Africa’s shot put record-holder, maintained his reputation as one of the world’s leading throwers with a third-place finish in the men’s event. The 31-year-old recorded a best mark of 21.15m on his second attempt, finishing behind two of the sport’s heavyweights as Olympic silver medallist Joe Kovacs of the United States dominated the competition with a winning throw of 22.33m in the third round, the only mark over 22m on the night, while New Zealand’s Tom Walsh took second with 21.52m.

Enekwechi, who set the African record of 22.10m earlier this season, will now turn his focus to fine-tuning his form at the Silesia Diamond League on Saturday ahead of Tokyo, where he is expected to lead Nigeria’s medal charge in the field events.

In the men’s 400m, Ogazi clocked 45.85s to place seventh in a field brimming with sub-45 contenders. The race was won by Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga in a swift 44.11s, narrowly ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards (44.14) and the United States’ Khaleb McRae (44.16). Hungary’s Attila Molnár delighted the home crowd with a fourth-place finish in 44.74s.

Ogazi competed for the first time since his NCAA title win and will take positives from the outing as he also builds towards Tokyo and the rest of the season.

There was disappointment for Nigerian sprint fans as Kanyinsola Ajayi withdrew from the men’s 100m before the start, with Jamaica’s Kadrian Goldson stepping in to fill his lane. The final was won by Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in 9.95s, ahead of Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu and South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who both clocked 10.01s for joint second place.

The meeting’s headline performance came from Swedish pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis, who broke his own world record with a clearance of 6.29m. Returning to the same Budapest stadium where he won the 2023 world title, Duplantis was pushed early on by Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, with both men clearing 6.02m on their first attempts. Karalis exited the competition after two misses at 6.11m, while Duplantis soared over the height before setting the bar at the new world record mark, which he cleared on his second attempt. The performance added one centimetre to the global record he set in Stockholm in June and reaffirmed his status as one of the sport’s dominant figures.