Ekenwechi places fifth in the shot put final at the world championships
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, the shot put star of Nigeria, finished fifth in the men’s shot put final on Saturday night, just missing out on a podium result at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The 31-year-old’s season-best throw of 21.52 meters in the medal round helped him get to the final with a throw of 20.83 meters, but it was insufficient to win a medal.
With a tremendous effort of 22.32 meters, Tom Walsh of New Zealand won gold, and Leonardo Fabbri of Italy took silver (22.19 meters). With a personal best of 21.95 meters, Uziel Muñoz of Mexico won bronze, surpassing the current Olympic champion Ryan Crouser of the USA, who came in fourth with 21.88 meters.
Enekwechi’s fifth-place finish solidifies his status as one of Africa’s most reliable field athletes and ties Nigeria’s best-ever performance in the men’s shot put at the World Championships.
With gold in the 2022 African Championships and silver at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, the American-born Nigerian has proven to be a consistent performer over the years.
Enekwechi will be hoping to improve on his Tokyo result and make his first appearance in the world medal rankings at the 2026 Olympic Games and the Paris 2025 Diamond League final.
