Team Nigeria’s Enoch Adegoke, Saturday, paced to a new lifetime best of 9.98 seconds in the men’s 100 metres as he advanced to the semi-finals of the blue riband event.
Adegoke, whose previous personal best was 10.00s, finished ahead of a strong field that included Trayvon Bromell, the fastest in the world this year and favourite to win the Olympic men’s 100m gold.
Bromell, who posted 9.77s last month and arrived in Tokyo as the man most likely to regain the 100m title for the US for the first time since 2004, finished a disappointing fourth in a time of 10.05s.
Adegoke’s compatriot Usheoritse Itsekiri also progressed to the semis after finishing third in his heat in a time of 10.15s.
But it wasn’t all good news for Team Nigeria as the country’s fastest man Divine Oduduru was disqualified in his 100m heat.
Oduduru, who has a personal best of 9.86, was disqualified after a false start.
The semi-finals and finals both take place on Sunday in Tokyo.
Adegoke has been drawn against the same athletes he defeated, Brommel, Nigeria-born Qatari, Femi Ogunode and Britain’s Zhana Hughes in the second semi-final heat while Itshekiri will run in the first semi-final and has been drawn against four sprinters who have ducked inside 10 seconds this season led by Canadian, Andre De Grasse.
Both Nigerians will be looking to become the next duo that will make the final of the event at the Games after Davidson Ezinwa and Olapade Adeniken did in the 1990s.
