Chidi Okezie

Last updated

Chidi Okezie
Okezei Chidi Anthony 6.jpg
Okezie in 2023
Personal information
Full nameChidi Anthony Okezie
NationalityAmerican, Nigerian
Born (1993-08-08) 8 August 1993 (age 32)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) [1]
Weight90 kg (198 lb)
Sport
CountryNigeria
Sport Running
Event 400 metres
College team Hampton Pirates
Coached byAldrin Gray
Achievements and titles
Personal best400 m: 44.97 (Canada 2024)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Junior Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2012 Barcelona 4×400 m relay
Representing Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
African Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Accra 400 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2019 Rabat 400 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2019 Rabat 4×400 m relay
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2023 Accra 4×400 m relay
African Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2016 Durban 400 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2018 Asaba 400 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2018 Asaba 4 × 400 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2022 Saint Pierre 4 × 400 m

Chidi Anthony Okezie (born 8 August 1993) is a sprinter. [2] Born in the United States, he competes internationally for Nigeria. He is a two-time African Championships bronze medallist in the 400 metres.

Contents

Personal

His father, Moses Okezie is Nigerian and his mother Carol Morris is Jamaican. He has nine siblings. [3] He graduated from Hampton University in 2015 and has a Master's in Sports Administration.

Career

Okezie was part of the American 4 × 400 m relay team that won a gold medal at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Barcelona. [4]

He represented Nigeria at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and reached the semifinals of the 400 m. He also ran the anchor leg for the country in the 4 x 400 metres relay heats. The team finished second but were eventually disqualified for a lane infringement. [5]

The 2018 African Championships were a success for Okezie. He won an individual bronze medal in the 400 metres behind Baboloki Thebe and Thapelo Phora. This made him a two-time African Championships bronze medallist as he had won a bronze medal at the 2016 Championships in Durban. He later anchored the Nigerian 4 x 400 m relay team to a bronze medal behind Kenya and South Africa. Okezie was also a member of the African quartet that placed second in the mixed 4 x 400 m relay at the 2018 IAAF Continental Cup.

In 2019, he won the bronze medal in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2019 African Games held in Rabat, Morocco. [6] He also won the bronze medal in the men's 400 metres. [6]

His personal best in the 400 metres is 45.24 s which he set at the 2018 Culturama Games in Nevis.

Competition record

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
2012 World Junior Championships Barcelona, Spain 1st4 × 400 m relay 3:03.99
Representing Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
2016 World Indoor Championships Portland, United States 15th (h)400 m 47.05
5th4 × 400 m relay 3:08.55
African Championships Durban, South Africa 3rd400 m 45.76
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 17th (sf)400 m 48.53
Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 21st (sf)400 m 47.33
4 × 400 m relay DQ
African Championships Asaba, Nigeria 3rd400 m 45.65
3rd4 × 400 m relay 3:04.88
2019 African Games Rabat, Morocco 3rd400 m 45.61
3rd4 × 400 m relay 3:03.42
2022 African Championships Port Louis, Mauritius 4th200 m 21.02
3rd4 × 400 m relay 3:07.05
2024 African Games Accra, Ghana 1st400 m 45.06
3rd4 × 400 m relay 3:01.84
African Championships Douala, Cameroon 9th (sf)400 m 45.96
4th4 × 400 m relay 3:02.93
Olympic Games Paris, France 16th (rep)400 m 45.92
4 × 400 m relay DQ

National Titles

Personal bests

Outdoor

Indoor

References

  1. "OKEZIE Chidi".
  2. Womack, Ray. "Chidi Okezie - Philly's Newest Triple Threat". PennTrackXC.com.
  3. "Chidi Okezie - Men's Track (Indoor/Outdoor)". Hampton University Athletics. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  4. "OKEZIE WINS GOLD AT WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". Hampton University Athletics. 16 July 2012.
  5. "Athletics | Result Men's 4 x 400m Relay Round 1 - Heat 1 - Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games". results.gc2018.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Athletics Results Book" (PDF). 2019 African Games. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  7. "Chidi Okezie storms to 45.24s PB ahead of 2018 African Championships". The Athletic Heat. 24 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  8. "Nevis Athletics". nb-no.facebook.com (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 28 February 2019.