Chidi_Okezie
Chidi Okezie
American sprinter (born 1993)
Chidi Anthony Okezie (born August 8, 1993) is a US-born sprinter of Nigerian and Jamaican descent.[1] Okezie is competing internationally for Nigeria. He is a two-time African Championships bronze medallist in the 400 metres.
 2023 African Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | American/Nigerian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1993-08-08) August 8, 1993 (age 30) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 198 lb (90 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | 400 metres | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Hampton Pirates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Maurice Pierce | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best | 400 m: 45.24 (Nevis 2018) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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His father, Moses Okezie is Nigerian and his mother Carol Morris is Jamaican. He has nine siblings.[2] He graduated from Hampton University in 2015 and has a Master's in Sports Administration.
Okezie was part of the American 4 × 400 m relay team that won a gold medal at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Barcelona.[3]
He represented Nigeria at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and reached the semifinals of the 400 m. He also ran the anchor leg for the country in the 4 x 400 metres relay heats. The team finished second but were eventually disqualified for a lane infringement.[4]
The 2018 African Championships were a success for Okezie. He won an individual bronze medal in the 400 metres behind Baboloki Thebe and Thapelo Phora. This made him a two-time African Championships bronze medallist as he had won a bronze medal at the 2016 Championships in Durban. He later anchored the Nigerian 4 x 400 m relay team to a bronze medal behind Kenya and South Africa. Okezie was also a member of the African quartet that placed second in the mixed 4 x 400 m relay at the 2018 IAAF Continental Cup.
In 2019, he won the bronze medal in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2019 African Games held in Rabat, Morocco.[5] He also won the bronze medal in the men's 400 metres.[5]
His personal best in the 400 metres is 45.24 s which he set at the 2018 Culturama Games in Nevis.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the  United States | |||||
| 2012 | World Junior Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:03.99 |
Representing  Nigeria | |||||
| 2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland, United States | 15th (h) | 400 m | 47.05 |
| 5th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:08.55 | |||
| African Championships | Durban, South Africa | 3rd | 400 m | 45.76 | |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 17th (sf) | 400 m | 48.53 |
| Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 21st (sf) | 400 m | 47.33 | |
| – | 4 × 400 m relay | DQ | |||
| African Championships | Asaba, Nigeria | 3rd | 400 m | 45.65 | |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.88 | |||
| 2019 | African Games | Rabat, Morocco | 3rd | 400 m | 45.61 |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:03.42 | |||
| 2022 | African Championships | Port Louis, Mauritius | 4th | 200 m | 21.02 |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:07.05 | |||
| 2024 | African Games | Accra, Ghana | 1st | 400 m | 45.06 |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:01.84 | |||
- 400 metres: 2015
Outdoor
- 400 metres – 45.24 (Nevis, 2018)[6][7]
Indoor
- 200 metres – 21.02 (Boston 2016)
- 400 metres – 46.48 (Boston 2016)
- Womack, Ray. "Chidi Okezie - Philly's Newest Triple Threat". PennTrackXC.com.
- "Chidi Okezie - Men's Track (Indoor/Outdoor)". Hampton University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- "OKEZIE WINS GOLD AT WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". Hampton University Athletics.
- "Athletics | Result Men's 4 x 400m Relay Round 1 - Heat 1 - Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games". results.gc2018.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- "Athletics Results Book" (PDF). 2019 African Games. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- "Chidi Okezie storms to 45.24s PB ahead of 2018 African Championships". The Athletic Heat. 2018-07-24. Archived from the original on 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- "Nevis Athletics". nb-no.facebook.com (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- Chidi Okezie at World Athletics
- DyeStat profile for Chidi Okezie[permanent dead link]
- Hampton Pirates bio
