Samuel Ogazi, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, and Kanyinsola Ajayi: Nigerian star athletes set for thrilling clashes in Budapest

Nigerian star athletes Samuel Ogazi, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, and Kanyinsola Ajayi will compete in thrilling clashes in their respective events at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Budapest on Tuesday, August 12.

The Gyulai Memorial – also known as the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix – will welcome a host of the sport’s leading stars for what will be the penultimate Continental Tour Gold meeting before the World Championships in Tokyo.

In the men's 100m event, Ajayi will race in a star-studded field that has Olympic silver medallist and world leader Kishane Thompson, South African sprint legend Akani Simbine, veteran American sprinter Ronnie Baker,  Africa's fastest man in history Ferdinand Omanyala, and the Jamaican duo of Rohan Watson and Ackeem Blake.

He will be aiming to make an impact with another sub-10s time, which will build his confidence for the rest of the season and ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo.

Consequently, NCAA Champion Ogazi will feature in the men's 400m and stands a good chance of springing a surprise win.

The Paris Olympic finalist's stiffest challengers will be South Africa's Zakithi Nene, American Khaled McRae, highly experienced Trinidadian Jereem Richards, Zambia's Muzala Samukonga, and Jamaica's Rusheen McDonald.

Finally, Nigerian record holder Enekwechi, having written his name in the history books at the Eugene Diamond League, by becoming the first man from Africa to throw over 22m in the men's Shot Put event, will gun to produce the same measure of performance in Budapest.

His monstrous throw of 22.11m to set a new African Record puts him highly ranked as one of the world's best throwers this season.

This time around, he'd face his familiar competitors in Italian Leonardo Fabbri, American Joe Kovacs, Swedish Payton Otterdahl, USA's Roger Steen, Rajindra Campbell, and Tom Walsh.