Favour Onyah Threatens to Quit Nigeria Athletics Team

Favour Onyah, a 19-year-old sprinter, has threatened to stop representing Nigeria after being omitted from the athletics squad for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, despite qualifying at the national trials. Onyah won the women’s 400m final at the National Athletics Trials in Lagos with a time of 52.68 seconds and was selected for Nigeria’s women’s 4x400m relay team.

However, she did not progress beyond the first phase of training camp in Abuja and returned to her base in the US. In a TikTok post, Onyah expressed her frustration, stating she had reached her limit after multiple disappointments and would not run for Nigeria.

Earlier in 2023, she represented Nigeria at the African Senior Athletics Championships in Ghana and is a triple gold medallist from the 2025 CAA U-20 African Athletics Championships in Abeokuta. Deji Aliu, a former Nigerian sprinter and athletics coach, criticized the Athletics Federation of Nigeria for its inconsistent selection process, emphasizing the need for transparency to maintain athlete trust and sponsorship.