Shot put: Chukwuebuka Enekwechi shines as first African to hit 22m mark
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi
Shot put: Chukwuebuka Enekwechi shines as first African to hit 22m mark
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi shines as first African to hit 22m mark.
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi made history at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on Saturday, smashing the African shot put record with a throw of 22.10m to finish third.
The 32-year-old became the first African to break the 22-metre barrier in men’s shot put and now owns seven of the continent’s top ten all-time marks.
“It’s the highest result score of my career,” said Enekwechi, whose throw earned him 1246 points.
The meet—ninth leg of the 2025 Diamond League—was the most competitive shot put event ever, with five men exceeding 22m for the first time in history. Joe Kovacs won with 22.48m, followed by Roger Steen (22.11m) and Enekwechi. Adrian Piperi (22.09m) and Rajindra Campbell (22.04m) followed.
The 2025 Prefontaine Classic was officially ranked the highest-scoring single-day athletics meet ever, with 98,121 points.
Nigeria also impressed elsewhere. Tobi Amusan clocked 12.38s for second in the 100m hurdles behind Ackera Nugent (12.32s). Sprinter Rosemary Chukwuma ran 11.09s to finish fourth in the women’s 100m Invitational, while Favour Ofili placed fifth in the main 100m race.
Ezekiel Nathaniel made a strong Diamond League debut, placing third in the men’s 400m hurdles in 47.88s.
The day also delivered two world records: Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet broke the women’s 5000m mark in 13:58.06, and Faith Kipyegon reclaimed her 1500m world record in 3:48.68.
