Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, a Nigerian-American athlete renowned for holding the African record in the hammer throwing event, secured an Olympic silver medal for the United States following a switch in allegiance from Nigeria.
Echikunwoke's aspirations to partake in the hammer throwing event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 were thwarted due to the failure of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to conduct the mandatory drug tests for athletes.
Expressing her disappointment on Instagram in July 2021, Echikunwoke stated, "On my 25th birthday, I was officially informed that I cannot compete at the Tokyo Olympics due to the negligence of the federation I was set to compete for." She continued, "I can’t even begin to explain how heartbroken I am. It honestly feels like a fever dream. To think of all the hours of throwing sessions, hundreds of hard lifts, all the moments when my body aches in pain and reminding myself 'it’ll be worth it,' just to keep pushing on, sacrificing time with loved ones… and all I’m left with is this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. This has been the most mentally and emotionally exhausting time of my life."
Echikunwoke's frustration with the situation was evident as she added, "To be clear: The [Athletics] Federation of Nigeria did not go through the processes to set up proper testing for us athletes. They left us in the dark about this whole drug testing issue until the last minute, when we were left helpless. We cannot let anything like this happen again to athletes, devastating dreams and crushing opportunities."
Her noteworthy throw of the hammer, reaching 75.49 meters on May 22, 2021, at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, USA, set a new African record.
Despite adhering to the AFN's requests by submitting her whereabouts on six occasions, the federation failed to engage with her. Similarly, other athletes, including Jumper Ruth Usoro, thrower Chioma Onyekwere, sprinters Chidi Okezie, Favour Ofili, Tima Godless, Yinka Ajayi, Glory Patrick, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Knowledge Omovoh, also faced similar fates in 2021.
Due to another organizational failure, Favour Ofili was unable to partake in the women’s 100-meter sprint event in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Being born in the US to Nigerian parents, Echikunwoke opted to compete for a place in the US team subsequently.
Echikunwoke’s accomplishments include recognition as a 2022 World Championships hammer throw finalist and the 2024 US Olympic Trials hammer throw winner on the Olympics website
She achieved the title of the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Championships national weight throw champion and held the school record in four of the five throwing events she participated in while at the University of Cincinnati.