Nigerian Sprinter Fires Warning Shot Ahead of Kip Keino Classic

Nigerian sprinter Chidi Okezie is turning up the heat with a bold promise of speed at the Ulinzi Sports Complex this Saturday as the Kip Keino Classic draws near.

With his sights set on the 44.80-second qualifying mark for the Tokyo World Championships, Okezie is more concerned with the clock than his elite opponents.

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“The timer is my biggest competition,” he told Athletics Kenya, brushing aside the pedigree of competitors such as South Africa’s Zak Nene, Australia’s Sherman Cooper, and American Brian Faust.

“Whenever I am on the track, I am the best athlete on the track…me and the time.”

The American-born athlete, who once competed for the U.S., is now a prominent figure in Nigerian athletics.

His switch was both symbolic and strategic as he states, “I chose to run for Nigeria for my name’s sake… the home of the greats when it comes to the 400m."

Okezie has collected an impressive array of continental medals, ncluding three bronzes from the African Championships and a bronze from last year’s African Games in Accra as part of Nigeria’s 4x400m relay team.

Already five races into the 2025 season, Okezie recently clocked 45.46 at the Drake Relays in the U.S. and posted 45.15 at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix.

With those times under his belt, he is now primed for what he hopes will be a breakthrough performance on African soil once again.