Nigerian sprinters Udodi Onwuzurike and Godson Brume set new landmark records at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships in Austin, Texas over the weekend.

Onwuzurike, a 20-year-old Stanford University who won gold at the World Athletics U-20 Championships in 2021, broke the 84-year jinx for Stanford University when he clocked a time of 19.84secs to win the 200m men’s final.

The Commonwealth Games bronze medallists beat Texas Tech student Courtney Lindsey who returned in a time of 19.87secs to win the silver.

Onwuzurike also set a new school record when he sped to a new Personal Best time of 19.76secs in the 200m semifinals, the third fastest in collegiate history behind Walter Dix (19.69secs) and Divine Oduduru (19.73secs).

The NCAA champion had earlier broken the 10secs barrier in the 100m final with 9.98secs.

Also, Louisiana State University student Brume became Nigeria’s third fastest man in NCAA history after he clocked 9.90secs to win silver in the men’s 100m final at the event.

Oghenebrume: This is just the beginning

Godson Ogehenebrume, the 2023 NCAA outdoor track and field championships 100m silver medal winner says he has just started his trip to international stardom.

The 20 year old ran inside 10 seconds twice in the championships, first speeding to a lifetime best of 9.93 to secure qualification to the final before rewriting his personal best in the final with a 9.90 run.

The time catapaults him from fifth to third in the Nigerianall-time list, just behind the duo of Olusoji Fasuba (9.85) and Divine Oduduru (9.86).

Oghenebrume has had a geometrical improvement this year, improving from a 10.12 lifetime best in April this year to 9.90 this year.

The Louisiana State University student athlete showed signs of what to come during the indoor season, improving his 60m indoor best from 6.89 in February last year to 6.60 in February 2023.

Outdoors, the Nigerian became a beast on the track. He first improved his personal best to 10.04 to win his first SEC championships 100m title ahead of Favour Ashe of Auburn University at the LSU Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Oghenebrume left his best for the biggest collegiate state in track and field, legally running inside 10 seconds twice to claim a silver medal.
The Nigerian says he is just scratching the surface of what he can do.

‘To everyone who supported Brume…from out my heart I say Thank U …this is jus the beginning! #LSU’, wrote Ogehenebrume on twitter.

The 20 year old will now shift his focus to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary where he will be seeking to return Nigeria to the 100m final 16 years after Fasuba last did.