Raymond Ekevwo Biography: Inside The Life Of The Nigerian Sprinter

Raymond Ekevwo is a Nigerian sprinter. At the 2019 African Games, he won the gold medal in the 100-meter dash. He was also a member of Nigeria’s 4 x 100 m relay team, which won a silver medal.

Ekevwo’s athletic ability has been evident since his school days. While still a student at High Standard Comprehensive School in Ughelli, he auditioned for the Making of Champions reality TV sports competition as Top Sprinter in 2015. By the end, every judge was trying to recruit him for their teams. In 2016, he won the senior 100 m competition title and award while still a junior.

Early Life and Education

Raymond Ekevwo was born in Ugheli, Delta State, Nigeria on March 23, 1999. He received his primary and secondary education in Delta State, where he attended High Standard Comprehensive School, before transferring to Oral Roberts University and then to the University of Florida.

Career

Raymond won the 100-meter race at the 2016 D.K. Olukoya Youth and Junior Championships in Nigeria in 10.35 seconds, a personal best at the time. As the country’s junior champion, he was chosen to represent his country at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships. He did, however, miss the race because the Nigerian team arrived late. He competed in the 4 x 100 m relay with teammates Soyemi Abiola, Godwin Ashien, and Emmanuel Arowolo, but they were unable to advance to the finals.

Ekevwo enrolled at Oral Roberts University for the 2017-2018 academic year, but he was forced to leave due to injuries. He eventually transferred to the University of Florida for the following season. The 2019 NCAA championship was won by the 4 x 100 m relay team of Ekevwo, Hakim Sani Brown, Grant Holloway, and Ryan Clark.

He became the fifth Nigerian man to win the 100 m gold medal at the 2019 African Games in Rabat. He went undefeated through the rounds and won the title with a time of 9.96 seconds, just ahead of Arthur Cisse. This score established a new African Games record. Then he took part in the 4 x 100 m relay with Divine Oduduru, Emmanuel Arowolo, and Usheoritse Itsekiri. The group took silver after finishing second to the Ghanaian team.

He won a bronze medal in the men’s 4 x 100m relay race at the 2022 Commonwealth Games alongside Favour Ashe, Onwuzurike Udodi Chudi, and Akintola Alaba Olukunle.

Personal Bests

60 metres: 6.53 s (Fayetteville 2020)
100 metres: 9.96 s (Rabat 2019).
200 metres: 20.84 s (Jacksonville 2019).
4 x 100 metres: 37.97 s (Austin, 2019).
4 × 100 metres: (Bringham, 2022).

Collegiate Records

Collegiate Record Holder–4×100 (37.97 at 2019 NCAA Outdoors)

Championships

2020 SEC Indoors Champion-60m
2019 NCAA Outdoors Champion -4×100

USTFCCCA All-America Honors

2021 USTFCCCA First Team Indoor All-American (60 metres)
2020 USTFCCCA First Team Indoor All-American (60 metres)

All-SEC Honours

2019 All-SEC Outdoor Second Team (100m-silver)
2019 All-SEC Outdoor Second Team (4×100-silver)

The UF All-Time Top 10 List

School record holder (100m)
School record holder-4×100 (37.97 at 2019 NCAA Outdoors-collegiate record)
UF’s No. 3-ranked 60m sprinter on UF’s Indoor All-Time Top 10.

Academic Honours

2021 SEC Spring Academic Honour Roll
Graduated in the spring of 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies.
2021: Indoors-Finished second at NCAAs with a time of 6.54 seconds in the 60-metre dash. First-team USTFCCCA All-American… He made his season debut during the Tyson Invitational and competed in two meets during the 2021 indoor season. Outdoor-Did not compete in any outdoor meets… named to the 2021 SEC Spring Academic Honour Roll.

2020: USTFCCCA Indoor All-American (60 metres)… SEC Indoor Championships gold medalist in the 60 metres… became the No. 3-ranked 60m sprinter in school history after logging an NCAA-leading time of 6.53 seconds at Arkansas’ Razorback Invitational… NCAA Indoor qualifier… named the SEC Men’s Runner of the Week (Feb. 4)… competed in a total of four meets in the 2020 shortened season.
2019: Broke the 100m school record (9.96) en route to gold at the Africa Games … IAAF World Championships 100m semifinalist … leadoff leg for the NCAA Outdoors title-winning and collegiate record-breaking 4×100 relay team—which clocked a time of 37.97 seconds … USTFCCCA Outdoor All-America First Team (4×100) … Silver medalist in both the 100m and 4×100 relay at SEC Outdoors … Clocked an IAAF World Championships standard and personal record of 10.02 seconds to take second in the 100m at SEC Outdoors … Finished sixth in the 60m with a personal record of 6.66 at the SEC Indoor Championships—his only indoor meet of the season, where he was one of four Gators to make the 60m final … clocked a 200m personal record of 20.84 at the NCAA East Preliminaries… finished 14th in the 100m at the NCAA East Preliminaries.