African Games 400m champion Chidi Okezie is ready to set the Ulinzi Sports Complex alight at this Saturday’s Kip Keino Classic, promising a “spectacular” display as he targets a lightning-fast performance.

The Nigerian-American sprinter, who has already competed in five races this season, is determined to go under 44.80 seconds the qualifying mark for the men’s 400m at the upcoming Tokyo World Championships.

Okezie, born to a Nigerian father and a Jamaican mother, is not fazed by the high-caliber field he will face in Nairobi.

Among his competitors are South Africa’s Zak Nene, a 4x400m World Relays champion; Australia’s Sherman Cooper, a World Relay silver medalist; and the USA’s Brian Faust, a World Indoor silver medalist.

But Okezie insists his main rival is the clock, not the athletes around him. “The timer is my biggest competition. I don’t really look at who else is in the race.

I believe that whenever I am on the track, I am the best athlete on the track, so that is what I look at—me and the time,” he said.

Okezie’s journey in athletics has been remarkable. He began his international career representing the United States, winning gold with the 4x400m relay team at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona.

In 2016, he switched allegiance to Nigeria, making his debut at the World Indoor Championships in Portland, where he ran 47.05 in the 400m preliminaries. Since then, Okezie has amassed an impressive collection of African medals, including two bronze medals at the 2018 and 2022 African Championships, and another bronze in the men’s 4x400m relay at the 2023 African Games in Accra.

Reflecting on his decision to represent Nigeria, Okezie said, “I chose to run for Nigeria for my name’s sake. Also, when looking at the rich culture of Nigeria…the home of the greats when it comes to the 400m. I wanted to put my name on that list.”

Okezie has been in excellent form this year. His most recent outing was at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, where he clocked 45.46 to finish third.

The Kip Keino Classic will be his second competition in Africa this year, following a fourth-place finish at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in April 2023, where he ran 45.15.

ALSO READ:KCB RFC appoints Mwanje as interim head coach in a bid to rejuvenate the club