Visa Issues, Withdrawals Hit Nigeria Ahead of African Championships

Visa Issues, Withdrawals Hit Nigeria Ahead of African Championships

By Admin 

Nigeria’s hopes of retaining the men’s shot put title at the 2026 CAA African Championships have suffered a major setback following the withdrawal of three-time champion Chukwuebuka Enekwechi from the competition, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Enekwechi’s absence was confirmed on Monday, barely 24 hours before the start of the championships at the University of Ghana Sports Complex in Accra, where the continental event will take place from May 12 to 17.

The withdrawal leaves Nigeria with a depleted squad in the shot put events, especially after the absence of women’s African shot put record holder Jessica Oji was also confirmed ahead of the competition.

Nigeria will now rely on Emmanuel Audu and Divine Oladipo in the shot put events.

Track and field analyst Christopher Maduewesi of Making of Champions disclosed Enekwechi’s withdrawal in a post on X on Monday.

“Another withdrawal for Nigeria — Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will not be participating at the 2026 African Championships in Ghana. Big Chuks will not be defending the title he won three consecutive times. Emmanuel Audu and Divine Oladipo will represent Nigeria in the shot put events in Accra,” he wrote.

The development comes as a surprise after the 33-year-old recently featured at the Simbine Classic in South Africa.

Attempts to ascertain the reason behind his withdrawal were unsuccessful, as officials and coaches of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria could not be reached as of the time this report was filed.

Enekwechi has enjoyed another strong season, posting a season-best throw of 21.74m to finish second at the Drake Relays on April 24.

The Nigerian star has dominated the African Championships since making his debut at the 2018 edition in Asaba, winning the men’s shot put title at the last three editions of the competition.

Earlier this year, however, he recorded a modest outing at the World Indoor Championships, where he placed 11th with a best throw of 20.04m in a field of 17 athletes.

Despite that result, Enekwechi remains one of Africa’s most accomplished throwers. In 2025, he became the first African athlete to surpass the 22-metre mark in men’s shot put after throwing 22.10m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene to set a new African record and finish third. He currently owns seven of the top 10 marks in African shot put history.