Israel Okon
Nigerian sprinter (born 2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Israel Okon Sunday (born 11 November 2006) is a Nigerian sprinter.[1]
| 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 bests | 60m: 6.48 (Fayetteville, 2026) 100m: 9.99 (Lexington, 2026) NU20R 200m: 19.94 (Lexington, 2026) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
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]
In March 2026, he placed fifth in the 60 m at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships in 6.57 seconds.[14] Competing at the NCAA East Regional in Lexington, Kentucky on 29 May, he ran a personal best 19.94 seconds for the 200 metres and 9.99 seconds for the 100 metres to qualify in both events for the 2026 NCAA national championships.[15] On 12 June, he placed second to Jaiden Reid in the 200 metres final at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships, running 19.99 seconds.[16]
While he was scheduled to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Okon withdrew due to a hamstring injury.[17][18]