Israel Okon Sunday
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Nigerian | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 November 2006 | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and Field | ||||||||||||||
Event | Sprint | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 60m: 6.51 (Texas, 2025) WU20R 100m: 10.12 (Accra, 2024) 200m: 20.80 (Benin City, 2024) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Israel Okon Sunday (born 11 November 2006) is a Nigerian sprinter.[1]
Career
In February 2024, he ran 10.20 seconds for the 100 metres as a 17 year-old to win the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) African Games National Trials in Asaba.[2] He was a gold medalist in the 4x100m relay at the delayed 2023 African Games in March 2024.[3]
He ran a personal best 20.80 seconds to win the Nigerian Olympic Trials over 200 metres in June 2024.[4] He competed at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru in August 2024 where he reached the semi-finals of the 100 metres but had to pull out with injury.[5][6]
From 2025, he began competing for the University of Auburn in the United States.[7] He equalled the world under-20 record for 60 metres running 6.51 seconds at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Texas on 1 March 2025.[8] This also broke the African under-20 record set by Joshua Caleb that year.[9][10] He ran 6.52 seconds to finish third in the men’s 60m at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach.[11]
In September 2025, he was a semi-finalist in the 100 metres at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[12][13]
References
- ^ "Israel Okon Sunday". World Athletics. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "African Games AFN trials: Israel Okon claims 100m title in style". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. February 19, 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "2023 African Games: Nigeria marginally beat Ghana to win gold in Men's 4x100m relay". Ghanaweb. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 14 Feb 2025.
- ^ "Okon Pips Akintola to Claim Men's 200m Title at Nigerian Olympic Trials". brilla.net. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Popoola, Oluwadare (August 27, 2024). "Okon and Eyakpobeyan qualify for 100m semifinals at Lima 2024 World U20 Championships". Making of Champs. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Airende, Gregory (August 27, 2024). "Team Nigeria Review – 2024 World U20 Athletics Championships Day 1". Making of Champs. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Smith, Motunde (January 27, 2025). "Ogazi, Fakorede, Okezie, Ajayi, Okon make hot start to 2025 indoor season". Athletics.africa. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "MacLean and Nuguse run fast miles in Boston". World Athletics. 2 March 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ "AFRICAN U-20 RECORD!!! 🔥". Athleticheat.com. 12 January 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ^ Fameso, Funmilayo (13 January 2025). "Joshua Caleb: Teen sensation breaks 60m Nigerian and African U20 records". Pulse Sports. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ^ Jacks, Bradley (15 March 2025). "Northern Colorado's Jerome Campbell produces personal best 7.49 for silver in men's 60m hurdles at NCAA Indoor Championships". SportsMax. Archived from the original on 24 April 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 18 Sep 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ Adebayo, Olusola (31 August 2025). "Amusan, Brumen, In as AFN Unveils 15-Man Squad for World Athletics Championships, Ofili Missing". Bluewin.ch. Retrieved 31 August 2025.