Uhunoma Osazuwa

By Duro Ikhazuagbe

Barely two months after ending Patience Itanyi’s 12 years reign as Nigeria’s heptathlon record holder, United States of America-based Uhunoma Osazuwa has again bettered the mark to a new 6,049 points.

Uhunoma consigned to history the 5,992 points she chalked up in April to become the country’s best in that multiple events, track & field sport.

At the Pan American Combined Events Championship in Ottawa, Canada, the Uhunoma’s feat clearly qualifies her for the ‘B’ standard of the Olympic of 5,950. She was just 101 points shy of the ‘A’ standard of 6,150.

Already, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), President, Solomon Ogba has expressed his joy at the feat, insisting that Osazuwa was capable of making the Olympic ‘A’ standard at the Nigerian Trials slated for Calabar in late June.

“I am really happy that she has improved on the points she amassed last April when she became the new national record holder. She is capable of making the ‘A’ of the London Olympic,” observed the Ogba who also doubles as second vice president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, (NOC).

Osazuwa set a new 5,992 points national record at the Jim Click Combined Events in Tucson, Arizona in the United States of America to erase the record Itanyi set on June 4, 2000 in Arles.

In erasing her own personal best of 5668 points set in Calabar last year during the All Nigeria/Cross River Athletics Championships, Osazuwa set personal best of 13.43 seconds in the 100m hurdles, cleared a new life time height of 1.84m in the high jump, put a new 12.52m in the shot put and a wind-aided 23.79 seconds in the 200m.