Onyekwere wins Women’s Discus at Beach Opener

Onyekwere wins Women’s Discus at Beach Opener

Nigerian Olympian and African record holder, Chioma Onyekwere opened her season at the Beach Opener on Saturday, winning the discus throw with a big 58.43m, her second biggest season opener ever.

The 29-year-old totally dominated the competition at Long Beach State Track with UC Irvine’s Nyla Baker finishing second with 47.55m, while Reese Garland finished third with 47.14m.

The American-born athlete who specialises in the discus throw has competed in the shotput and discus throw both on the collegiate level and internationally, representing Nigeria and holding the African and Nigerian records for the discus throw.

Her personal best of 64.96 metres for the discus throw was achieved in 2023.

She won a gold medal for the discus throw at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She has won three African titles over her career, two consecutive gold medals at the African Championships (2018 and 2022), and a gold medal at the 2019 African Games.

She was recognised 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