Former national women’s 100m champion, Rosemary Chukwuma, opened her outdoor season with an impressive win at the Battle on the Bayou in Louisiana, edging her training partner Favour Ofili and Canada’s Audrey Leduc, Sports Extra reports.
Chukwuma clocked 10.81s (+3.1 m/s) to take first place, while Ofili and Leduc finished joint second in 10.93s.
The Nigerian sprinter burst out of the blocks and maintained her lead through the race, holding off a late dip from Ofili at the finish line.
Despite the win marking the fastest all-conditions time of her career, the tailwind reading means it will not count as a legal personal best. Her official PB remains 10.88s, set at the John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, USA, in May 2024.
This marks the second time this season that Chukwuma has beaten Ofili in the same race.
In February, the 24-year-old began her campaign by winning the women’s 60m in 7.17s, narrowly defeating American sprinter Alia Armstrong, who ran 7.19s, while Ofili placed third in 7.23s.
At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Chukwuma was Nigeria’s sole representative in the women’s 100m. She competed in Heat 2 but did not advance to the semi-finals, finishing outside the automatic qualification spots and missing out on a fastest-loser berth.
The former African U-20 champion has been a consistent performer for Nigeria in recent years. She reached the semi-finals of the women’s 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympics and has contributed to relay successes, including gold at the African Games and bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
Chukwuma first gained global attention in 2018 when she won the 100m gold medal at the Youth Olympics.
Contact: [email protected]