Annette Echikunwoke – USA
Annette Echikunwoke is a hammer thrower who won silver at the 2024 Olympics, becoming the first American woman to medal in the event. She holds the African record with a throw of 75.49m while she was in Nigeria and was a former NCAA champion at the University of Cincinnati.
Echikunwoke was disqualified from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to AFN negligence in setting up drug tests. Despite providing her location six times when requested, no officials came to conduct the required tests, leaving her and nine other Nigerian athletes unable to compete.
Born in Ohio to Nigerian parents, she initially chose to represent Nigeria in 2020 but switched to the United States after the Tokyo Olympics debacle, going on to make history with her Olympic silver medal.
Salwa Eid Naser – Bahrain
Born Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu, Salwa Eid Naser is the 2019 World 400m champion with the third-fastest time in history (48.14 seconds). She also won World Championship bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay and was the 2017 World 400m silver medallist.
The sprinter switched allegiance to Bahrain in 2014 at age 16, converting to Islam and changing her name. When asked about her move in 2017, she said the “past three years have been a great transition” and declined to comment on her relationship with the AFN.
Born in Onitsha to a Nigerian mother and Bahraini father, her family moved to Bahrain before she turned 14, where she discovered better opportunities to develop her sprinting career.
Femi Ogunode – Qatar
Femi Ogunode is a former holder of the Asian 100m record (9.91 seconds) and a double Asian Games champion in 2010 and 2014. He has won multiple titles at Asian Championships, Military World Games, and other continental competitions.
Ogunode was left off Nigeria’s final rosters for the 2007 All-Africa Games and 2008 Olympics despite qualifying, with the AFN providing no explanation for the decision. Following these disappointments, he accepted Qatar’s offer to compete internationally.
Born in Ondo City, he moved to Qatar in 2009 and became only the second athlete in Asian Games history to win both 200m and 400m at the same competition, following his 2010 double gold in Guangzhou.
Francis Obikwelu – Portugal
Francis Obikwelu won Olympic silver in the 100m at the 2004 Athens Games, setting a European record of 9.86 seconds that stood for nearly 17 years. He was the first male athlete to win both 100m and 200m at the European Championships and was voted European Male Athlete of the Year in 2006.
Obikwelu revealed he was frustrated out of Nigeria by AFN officials’ unjust treatment during and after the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Despite being ranked world number two, officials dismissed his knee injury complaints, forcing him to compete until the semifinals and causing further damage.
“I went to AFN and was told that money had been approved for me, but they didn’t know where the money was. You can see the frustration I went through,” Obikwelu said, explaining his decision to represent Portugal.
Glory Alozie – Spain
Glory Alozie was a world-class hurdler who won gold at the 2002 European Championships and multiple World Indoor Championship silver medals. She was twice African champion and held African and Commonwealth records in the 100m hurdles.
Alozie switched to Spain in 2001, citing youthfulness and pressure from her Valencia club teammates as reasons for the decision. She later apologised to Nigerians, saying she didn’t understand the implications of her choice at the time.
“I am not happy that I dumped Nigeria for Spain. I didn’t really know the implication of that action until much later,” she said, expressing regret over her decision to change allegiance.
Daniel Igali – Canada
Daniel Igali won Canada’s first and only Olympic gold medal in men’s wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was a three-time NAIA champion with a perfect 116-0 collegiate record and later became president of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation.
Igali came to Canada as captain of Nigeria’s wrestling team for the 1994 Commonwealth Games but remained in the country seeking refugee status due to political unrest in Nigeria. He acquired Canadian citizenship in 1998.
The wrestler went on to make history for Canada while later giving back to Nigerian wrestling, becoming the first elected president of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation in 2013 and helping improve the sport’s profile in his birth country.
Florence Ekpo-Umoh – Germany
Florence Ekpo-Umoh is a 400m sprinter who won European Championship gold and World Championship silver for Germany after switching from Nigeria in 1995. Born in Lagos, she was inspired by Nigerian hurdler Maria Usifo and came from an athletic family. Her personal best time is 51.13 seconds, achieved in 2001.
