Enekwechi eyes Olympics slot at LA Grand Prix

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By: Godwin Aikigbe

Nigeria’s shot put thrower, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, will continue his quest for a second successive Olympics ticket at USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix at Drake Stadium, UCLA, on May 18.

The 31-year-old, who made his Olympics debut at Tokyo 2020, fell short at Tucson, Arizona over the weekend with his 20.97m effort, a far cry from the Olympics qualification mark, and now looks to make up for the setback at the LA Grand Prix.

The African champion bemoaned his poor outing on his official Instagram, which he attributed to a loss of momentum.

“Not a great day today (Saturday). 68’10” (20.97m) in Tucson, Az. I was way too passive early on and had a hard time building momentum as the competition progressed. That’s sports, though. I just need a little more practice pushing the envelope. On to the next one! Thanks for sticking with your boy. Thanks for sticking with your boy, LA GrandPrix, on the  18th,” writes the Purdue University aluminus.

Born in Queens, New York, United States, Enekwechi, with a PB 21.80 metres, threw 21.28 metres to win the 2019 African Games gold in Rabat but could only record a throw of 19.74 in the final of the men’s shot put event in Tokyo.