Chioma Onyekwere

Last updated

Chioma Chukwujindu "CiCi" Onyekwere (born June 28, 1994, in Lansing, Michigan) is an American-born Nigerian track and field athlete specializing in the Discus Throw. She has competed in the shotput and discus throw both on the collegiate level and internationally representing Nigeria and holds the African & Nigerian Record for the Discus Throw. Her personal best of 64.96 meters for the Discus Throw was achieved in 2023.

Contents

She has won a gold medal for the Discus Throw at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She has won 3 African Titles over her career, 2 consecutive gold medals at the African Championships (2018 & 2022) and a gold medal at the 2019 African Games. She was recognized for her academic achievement as a student athlete at the University of Maryland for four years by the Big Ten and the ACC while serving as one of the team's captains. Her collegiate honors include All-American recognition, All-Big Ten honors, All-Academic Big Ten, 5 Big Ten Conference Medals, and Solomon Eye Terp of the Week recipient. [1]

Personal

Born to Chima & Scholar Onyekwere with triplet siblings Chidinma and Chima and older siblings Emeka and Kay. Onyekwere grew up in Nigeria and moved to Fairfax, Virginia in 2002 with her family. She graduated from the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland in Winter 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Career

Pre-Collegiate

Onyekwere attended James W. Robinson High School in Fairfax, VA. She competed under the guidance of former University of Maryland Thrower Beau Fay. Onyekwere was not only District Champion several times but she is also a 2-time district record holder in the shot put. She claimed Regional Champion in 2011 and 2012, 3rd in the state in 2011 & 2012, and placed 5th in Nationals in 2012 . [2]

University of Maryland

Chioma enrolled at the University of Maryland in the Fall 2012 where she joined the Track and Field team coached by former US Olympian Andrew Valmon.

In 2015, Onyekwere won her first collegiate medal in Maryland's first season in the Big Ten Conference. At the 2015 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships, Onyekwere earned a silver medal in the Shotput with her top throw of 16.06 meters (52’ 8.25”). She was awarded 2nd Team All-Big Ten honors for the indoor season. Her shotput dominance carried over into the outdoor season as she earned a bronze medal in the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a top mark of 16.10 meters (52’ 10”). She added a Top 10 conference finish at this meet by placing 7th in the Discus throw.

Onyekwere capped off her final Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championship in 2016 by earning a silver medal in the Weight Throw. Her top mark of 21.17 meters (69’ 5.5”) was not only a personal best, but it also broke a school record that had previously stood for 14 years. She placed 6th for the Shotput at this meet as well. Along with earning 2nd Team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight year, her record-breaking throw also qualified her for the 2016 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Championships. Her performance at this championship was good enough for her to be awarded as a 2nd Team All-American for the 2016 Indoor Season.

Her dominance continued as her final outdoor season went underway. At the UVA Quad Meet in Charlottesville, VA, Onyekwere broke a 34-year school record in the Discus Throw with a toss of 52.4 meters (171’ 11”). She would go on to reset this Discus record at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a throw of 54.43 meters (178’ 7”). This throw resulted in a bronze medal. Onyekwere also threw a career-best shotput throw of 16.85 meters (55’ 3.5”) earning a silver medal, her 5th Big Ten Medal, and 2nd Team Big-Ten Honors once again. She went on to compete at the NCAA East Regional Championships for both the Shotput and Discus where her 11th-place finish in the Shotput qualified her for the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. At season's end, she was awarded as an All-American Honorable Mention for the 2016 Outdoor Season.

Post-Collegiate

As a member of the Nigerian Senior National Track and Field Team, Onyekwere was selected to compete in the 2016 African Championships in Athletics in Durban, South Africa. She would go on to earn two bronze medals at these games. She helped complete a Nigerian-podium sweep by placing 3rd in the Discus with a top throw of 53.91 meters behind teammates Nwanneka Okwelogu and Chinwe Okoro. She also placed 3rd in the Shot put with a top throw of 15.71 meters. [3]

In the 2018 African Championships in Athletics held in Asaba, Nigeria, Onyekwere decided to focus her efforts solely on the Discus throw. This paid off as she put on a show for her home country, earning a Gold Medal the Discus throw with a then personal best throw of 58.09 meters. [4] Onyekwere was invited to represent Team Africa in the 2018 IAAF Continental Cup held in Ostrava, Czech Republic. She finished in 4th place with a top throw of 56.68 meters and had the furthest mark of any African Discus thrower in the competition. [5]

In 2019, she won the gold medal at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco. Her winning throw of 59.91 meters was also the African Games record the event. Onyekwere competed in the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championship in Doha. She threw a personal best throw of 61.38 meters in the qualifying round and finished in 13th place, one spot shy of advancing to the finals.

In 2021, she broke the Nigerian National Record for the discus throw with throw of 63.30 meters. The previous record of 61.58 meters was set by Chinwe Okoro in 2016.

In 2022, she successfully defended her African Championship winning her 2nd consecutive gold medal in the Discus Throw at the 2022 African Championships in Athletics held in Saint Pierre, Mauritius with a top throw of 58.18 meters. After failing to reach the finals of the 2022 World Athletics Championships, she bounced back a couple weeks later at the 2022 Commonwealth Games finishing in first place with a throw of 61.70 meters. This throw was a season's best and helped her earn Nigeria's first ever women's Discus Throw title in the history of the Commonwealth Games.

In 2023, she broke the African Record for the Women's Discus with a throw of 64.96 meters achieved in April 2023. The previous African record was 64.87 meters set in 2007 by Elizna Naude of South Africa.

International competitions

Note: Only the position and distance in the final are indicated, unless otherwise stated. (q) means the athlete did not qualify for the final, with the overall position and distance in the qualification round indicated.

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2016 African Championships Durban, South Africa3rdShot put15.71 m
3rdDiscus53.91 m
2018 African Championships Asaba, Nigeria1stDiscus58.09 m SB
Continental Cup Ostrava, Czech Republic4thDiscus56.68 m
2019 African Games Rabat, Morocco1stDiscus59.91 m GR
World Championships Doha, Qatar13th (q)Discus61.38 m SB
2022 African Championships St. Pierre, Mauritius1stDiscus58.18 m
World Championships Eugene, Oregon21st (q)Discus57.87 m
Commonwealth Games Birmingham, England1stDiscus61.70 m SB

International Titles

Related Research Articles

Chioma Ajunwa-Opara, MON, OLY – also known as Chioma Ajunwa – is a Nigerian former track and field athlete and football player, notable for becoming the first Nigerian to win gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in a field event. A member of the Nigerian Police Force, Ajunwa remains only woman to compete at both the FIFA Women's World Cup as a footballer and the Olympics as a track and field athlete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blessing Okagbare</span> Nigerian track and field athlete

Blessing Oghnewresem Okagbare-Otegheri is a former Nigerian track and field athlete who specialized in long jump and sprints. She is an Olympic and World Championships medallist in the long jump and a world medalist in the 200 metres. Okagbare also holds the women's 100 metres Commonwealth Games record at 10.85 seconds. She is currently serving a 10-year ban for breaching multiple World Athletics anti-doping rules. Her ban expires on 30 July 2032.

Becky Breisch is an American track and field athlete who competes in the discus throw. She has represented the United States in the event at three consecutive World Championships in Athletics from 2005 to 2009. Her personal best throw of 67.37 meters for the discus makes her the sixth best American of all-time in the event.

Kibwé Johnson is an American Olympic track and field athlete who specializes in the hammer throw. He has represented his country at the World Championships in Athletics three times. Competed in the 2012 London Olympics where he made the final and finished 9th. No American had made the final since 1996. Johnson competed in 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Whiting</span> American shot putter (b. 1986)

Ryan Keith Whiting is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and has a personal record of 22.28 meters outdoors and 22.35 meters indoors. His biggest international senior success to date is first place at the 2012 World Indoor Championships. He represented the United States at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, 2013 World Championships in Athletics, 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2012 London Olympics.

Ese Brume MON is a Nigerian athlete who specializes in the long jump. She is the current commonwealth champion and a three-time African senior champion in the long Jump and holds a personal best of 7.17 m She currently holds the commonwealth games record, African junior record and African record in the event. She's a two-time medalist at the world athletics championship, an Olympic bronze medalist and also a five-time African junior champion in athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristi Castlin</span> American track and field athlete

Kristi Castlin is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. Her personal best for the event is 12.50 seconds, set on July 8, 2016, during the finals of the 2016 United States Olympic Trials, in which she qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics by placing 2nd. She was the 2012 American champion in the indoor 60 metres hurdles and represented the United States at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She shares the world record for the shuttle hurdle relay, with her time of 50.78 seconds set in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Kovacs</span> American track and field athlete

Joseph Mathias Kovacs is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and has a personal record of 23.23 meters outdoors and 22.05 meters indoors. He won gold medals at the 2015 and 2019 World Championships. He won silver medals at the 2017 World Championships, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. His personal best of 23.23 metres makes him the second best competitor all-time in the shot put event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobi Amusan</span> Nigerian sprinter (born 1997)

Oluwatobiloba Ayomide "Tobi" Amusan is a Nigerian track and field athlete who specialises in the 100 metres hurdles and also competes as a sprinter. Amusan is the current world record holder in the 100 metres hurdles with a time of 12.12 seconds which she set at the 2022 women's 100 metres hurdles semi final in Eugene Oregon. She is the current Commonwealth and African champion in the 100 m hurdles, as well as the meet record holder in those two competitions. Amusan became the first ever Nigerian world champion and world record holder in an athletics event when she won the 2022 World Championships 100 m hurdles gold medal, setting the current world record of 12.12 seconds (+0.9m/s) in the semi-final, followed up by a 12.06 seconds (+2.5m/s) in the final. She won back-to-back Commonwealth and African titles in 2018 and 2022 in the 100 m hurdles and is also a two-time African Games champion in the event. She is also the current Diamond league champion in the 100 metres hurdles having won the final in 12.33 seconds (+1.8m/s) achieving a winning streak in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Chinwe Okoro is a Nigerian track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and the discus throw. She is a three-time African champion and holds the Nigerian record for the discus throw at 59.79 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raevyn Rogers</span> American middle-distance runner

Raevyn Rogers is an American middle-distance athlete. She won a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the fourth fastest woman in U.S. history in the event. At the 2019 World Championships, Rogers came from seventh with 100m remaining in the race to place silver over USA teammate Ajeé Wilson in bronze. She earned a world indoor title as a member of national 4x400 

Stephen Ogochukwu Mozia is a US-born Nigerian shot putter. He is a three-time African Championships Bronze medallist. He also represented his country at the 2014 and 2016 World Indoor Championships, as well as the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Nwanneka Mariauchenna "Nikki" Okwelogu is a Nigerian track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and discus throw events. She was the 2016 discus gold medalist at the African Championships in Athletics. Born in the United States, she set Ivy League records in the throws while at Harvard University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Ewen</span> American athlete (born 1994)

Maggie Ewen is an American shot putter. Maggie Ewen earned bronze medal when she threw the discus 59.00 m in Toronto at 2018 NACAC Championships, placed fourth in the shot put at 2019 World Athletics Championships and competed in the women's hammer throw at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. Ewen set collegiate outdoor records in shot put and hammer.

Chukwuebuka Cornnell Enekwechi is a Nigerian-American track and field athlete, specializing in throwing events. He competes internationally for Nigeria. He is the 2018 Commonwealth Games Silver medallist and reigning African Champion in the shot put. He is also the 2019 African Games Champion and the reigning Nigerian National Sports Festival Champion.

Oyesade "Sade" Olatoye is a Nigerian athlete competing in the shot put and hammer throw. She represented the United States in 2016 at the IAAF World U20 Championships ion Bydgoszcz, Poland. She switched allegiance from the United States to Nigeria in 2019. She represented Nigeria in the shot put at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. Earlier that year, she won two medals at the 2019 African Games.

Princess Kara is a Nigerian discus thrower. She won both the National Championships and the African Under 20 Championships in 2019. Her personal best is 50.07 m.

Andrew Liskowitz is an American athlete competing primarily in the shot put. He finished in sixth place at the 2020 United States Olympic Trials in June 2021. Liskowitz finished with the second-farthest throw ever at Olympic Trials by a collegiate athlete and the number 20 throw in U.S. Olympic Trials history. He is a six-time All American, three-time Big Ten Champion, World University Games silver medalist, and holds the University of Michigan school records for the indoor and outdoor shot put throws.

Obiageri Pamela Amaechi is a Nigerian discus thrower who won the discus event at the 2023 African Games and came third in the discus events at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2022 African Championships in Athletics. She has competed for the Princeton Tigers in US college athletics.

Ashley Anumba is a Nigerian track and field athlete who competes in the Discus.

References

  1. ↑ "Solomon Eye Associates Terp of the Week: Chioma Onyekwere". umterps.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  2. ↑ "Chioma Onyekwere Biography". umterps.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  3. ↑ "Nigeria finishes a disappointing 3rd at 2016 African Championships | MAKING OF CHAMPIONS". MAKING OF CHAMPIONS. 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  4. ↑ Eludini, Tunde. "Okagbare in action as Nigeria wins three more gold medals". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "IAAF: Report: women's discus throw - IAAF Continental Cup Ostrava 2018". iaaf.org. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.