Amaechi wins discus silver at Islamic Games

Nigeria’s Obiageri Amaechi has given Team Nigeria a bright start in athletics after winning silver in the women’s discus event on the opening day of competition at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games.

Amaechi recorded a throw of 56.99m, missing the gold medal by a slim margin of 0.05m. The top spot went to Nora Monie, who won with a throw of 57.04m, while Turkey’s Ozlem Becerek claimed bronze with 55.56m. Nigeria’s national record holder, Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons, finished just outside the medals in fourth with 55.08m.

The result boosts Nigeria’s medal haul at the Games to 16 medals—six gold, six silver and four bronze—placing the country 8th on the overall table.

For Amaechi, the medal serves as a strong comeback after a disappointing outing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where she failed to advance past the first round.

Ahead of the Games, Nigeria faced some setbacks, with African shot put record holder Chukwuebuka Enekwechi and recently switched athlete Divine Oladipo withdrawing from competition. Still, the country fielded a solid squad across sprints, relays and field events, featuring a mix of home-based and international athletes.

The men’s team includes Chidera Ezeakor, Caleb John, and James Emmanuel in the short sprints, while David Akhalu, Gafari Badmus, and Ezekiel Asuquo compete in the long sprints. In field events, Samuel Kure and Victoria Kparika take on the javelin throw.

On the women’s side, Chioma Nweke, Anita Enaruna, Maria Omokwe, Miracle Ezechukwu, Iyanuoluwa Bada, and veteran Patience George make up the sprint and relay squad.

The 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games, hosted at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium in Saudi Arabia, run from November 7 to 21.