Nigeria Aims for Podium Return as WA Unveils Tokyo 2025 Medal Hopes (International Edition: English)

World Athletics has revealed the official medals for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, scheduled to occur between September 13 and 21 at the National Stadium in Tokyo. PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The medals for the championship, set to be presented to the participating athletes, have been created based on contributions from both Japanese student-athletes and design professionals.

As stated by the organizing committee, every medal showcases flowing stripes derived from the official event emblem. The design includes Tokyo’s city code "TYO" creatively depicted as a running path, representing progress and worldwide unity via athletics.

The President of the Local Organizing Committee, Mitsugi Ogata, stated that the design represents unity, sustainability, and ambition leading up to the international event.

Ogata, in a statement made available to PUNCH Sports Extra to mark the 100-day countdown to the championships, said the medal design reflects the collective effort of young athletes and design specialists across Japan.

“I am delighted to unveil the official medal design and medal case on this symbolic day, 100 days before the World Athletics Championships return to Tokyo,” Ogata said.

This design emerged from a genuinely cooperative endeavor where both design professionals and young athletes lent their insights to create something significant for athletes globally.

The medal case, made using locally-sourced Tama wood, showcases our dedication to environmental responsibility. By integrating the signature track stripe from our official emblem into the medal’s design, I trust it will serve as an inspiring symbol for athletes aiming to grasp this award and create cherished recollections among supporters across Japan and beyond.

As the medals are revealed, there is fresh optimism for Nigeria, which will be striving to make a comeback onto the podium following their unsuccessful attempt at winning a medal during the 2023 championship held in Budapest, Hungary, even though they sent 27 athletes to compete.

The forthcoming event presents the nation with an opportunity to enhance its overall medal count of 11, comprising one gold, five silver, and five bronze medals.

The only gold arrived dramatically in 2022 when Tobi Amusan etched her name into Nigerian sports history in Eugene, USA. She became the country’s first world champion by claiming victory in the women’s 100m hurdles event with a stunning world-record performance during the semifinals and an aided-time finish in the finals.

As preparations intensify, 12 Nigerian athletes have already qualified for Tokyo 2025, meeting the automatic standards across a range of track and field events.

Amusan returns to defend her crown in the 100m hurdles, while sprinters Favour Ofili, Tima Godbless and Kayinsola Ajayi have all qualified in the short sprints.

Samuel Ogazi, a middle-distance athlete, along with sprinter Ella Onojuvwevwo specializing in the quarter-mile, and hurdler Ezekiel Nathaniel, who qualified for both the 400m flat race and hurdle events, will all have their chances as well.

In the field events, Temitope Adeshina will compete in the high jump, and veteran shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi has qualified with a season-best throw that exceeded the required mark.

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