Nigerian Athletes Rack Up $130,000 at World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest

PRESS STATEMENT

Nigerian Athletes Rack Up $130,000 at World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest

Team Nigeria wrapped up its campaign at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, with five athletes collectively earning $130,000 in prize money across their respective events.

Tobi Amusan emerged as Nigeria’s standout performer, securing the country’s highest placing at the championship with a silver medal in the women’s 100m hurdles.

Amusan clocked 12.34 seconds in the final to finish second behind American Masai Russell, who won in 12.22 seconds, while the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser took third in 12.39 seconds. Amusan’s runner-up finish earned her $75,000.

Kayinsola Ajayi also made a strong showing in the men’s 100m, finishing fourth and earning $25,000, while Ezekiel Nathaniel placed sixth in the men’s 400m hurdles to take home $14,000.

Udodi Onwuzurike finished eighth in the men’s 200m, earning $10,000, while Ella Onojuvwevwo completed Nigeria’s prize-money haul with a 12th-place finish in the women’s 400m, earning $6,000.

The combined $130,000 earned by the Nigerian contingent reflects the strong representation of the country at the inaugural championship, which featured the world’s leading athletes competing for a record $10 million prize fund.

The National Athletics Centre in Budapest hosted the three-day championship, which brought together elite athletes from around the world in a new head-to-head format designed by World Athletics.

SIGNED:

Kola Daniel,
S.A. Media,
Office of the Director General,
National Sports Commission.
September 15, 2026.