With three African titles under his belt, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi is now gunning for Olympic glory, targeting a podium finish at the Paris 2024 Games and aiming to make Nigeria proud.
Enekwechi’s unbeaten streak on the African stage reached six years, as he claimed the first gold medal of the 2024 African Championships in Douala, Cameroon, on Friday.
Enekwechi, the two-time defending champion, raised the bar with a phenomenal performance, breaking his own Championships record (21.20 m) with a new benchmark of 21.22 meters, clinching the gold medal.
Aside from winning his third consecutive African title, the Nigerian has consistently broken the championship record with his winning throws at every edition he has attended (Asaba 2018: 21.08 m; Mauritius 2022: 21.20 m; and Douala 2024: 21.22 m).
“Anytime you throw well at the continental championship or global championship, it is exciting. I don’t even care what the distance is as long as I’m representing Nigeria,” Enekwechi said via Making of Champions.
“Records and streaks are meant to be broken, so I guess I’ve been on some kind of streak since 2018, so it shows how old I’m getting, but also that I’m more mature and more experienced, and I want to face the challenges as they come.”
The multiple continental champion has been in exceptional form, winning his fifth national title and shattering his personal best and national record with a throw of 21.91 meters, his sights now set on the 22-meter mark.
“I want to make progress, and Nigerians want to see the 22m, so why not? And that also means I’m going to do better against my competitors because there are eight guys ahead of me as far as the world rankings, and I think it’s my responsibility to take them down.
“If I throw 22 metres, it means I’m more likely to make the finals at the Olympics and fight for the medal.”
