U-20 Championship: Eze dumps South Africa, switches allegiance to Nigeria

Nineteen-year-old sprinter Chinyere Eze has decided to represent Nigeria instead of South Africa ahead of the 2026 World U-20 Championships. This is good news for Nigeria, especially in the women’s 400 metres event.

According to her profile on World Athletics, Eze became eligible to compete for Nigeria in December 2025 after previously running for South Africa.

She has already shown strong potential. At the CAA Championships in South Africa, she ran the 400 metres in 54.74 seconds, showing she is improving and could perform well internationally.

Her switch means she can now be selected for Nigeria’s team at the 2026 World Athletics U-20 Championships. The competition will take place in Eugene, Oregon, USA, from August 5 to 9.

The event, which used to be called the World Junior Championships, is for young athletes born on or after January 1, 2007. It brings together top young athletes from around the world.

Eze’s decision is a big boost for Nigeria as the country aims to win medals again after recent disappointing performances.

Nigeria has won 37 medals in the history of the championships — 14 gold, 13 silver, and 10 bronze. The last time Nigeria won medals was in 2021 in Nairobi, where athletes like Udodi Onwuzurike, Imaobong Uko, Favour Ofili, and Ella Onojuvwevwo performed well.

However, Nigeria did not win any medals in the 2022 event in Cali or the 2024 edition in Lima.

With Eze now eligible and improving, she is expected to be one of the key athletes as Nigeria hopes to return to winning medals at the championships.