Godson Brume, Nigeria’s most successful sprinter this season, may have jeopardized his chances of competing in the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, as he failed to attend the national trials in Benin City, Edo State.
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The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) had previously announced that any athlete who missed the trials would be excluded from the Budapest team.
Although foreign-based athletes participated in the event, Brume was notably absent. It was later revealed that Brume had missed his flight on four separate occasions. An AFN official expressed disappointment, stating that this was not the first time Brume had displayed such behavior.
The official further criticized Brume’s lack of seriousness, referring to a similar incident during the Commonwealth Games. The AFN decided that Brume would be excluded from the World Championships team.
However, Brume’s older sister, Ese Brume, a silver medalist at the World Championships, defended her brother, explaining that he encountered difficulties in Washington and was unable to fly to Nigeria.
She clarified that Brume had not missed his flight four times as claimed and had been in communication with the AFN. Ese revealed that she had booked another ticket for her brother and that he was en route to Nigeria to obtain his visa for the World Championships.
Godson Brume had a remarkable start to the 2023 season, consistently improving his 60m personal best in various meets. He concluded the indoor season with a lifetime best of 6.60s, a significant improvement from his previous record of 6.89s in 2021.
He also secured a bronze medal at the SEC Indoor Championships.
The AFN assured the public that Brume’s absence from the ongoing trials would not impact Nigeria’s chances in the 4x100m relay qualification event at the World Championships.
They expressed confidence in the abilities of other athletes to compete in the relay race.
In addition to Brume, two other athletes, Rosemary Chukwuma and Favour Ofilli, were also absent from the trials and consequently ruled out of the World Championships team.
The opening ceremony of the national trials saw the presence of former Super Eagles midfielder, Bright Omokaro, popularly known as “10-10,” among other dignitaries.
