Rising sprint sensation Kelly Ufodiama, a 19-year-old athlete based in the United States, has officially completed her switch of sporting allegiance from the US to Nigeria, following confirmation from World Athletics.
The update to her profile comes after a breakthrough season in which she achieved the qualification standard for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in the women’s 200 meters.
Ufodiama’s transition to represent Nigeria has been in progress for several months, but the final step was confirmed as her eligibility was updated in the World Athletics database.
Her decision comes on the heels of a standout freshman campaign at East Carolina University, where she has rapidly established herself as one of the world’s most promising young sprinters.
At the NCAA finals in Oregon, Ufodiama finished fourth in the women’s 200 meters, clocking a time of 22.61 seconds.
While she narrowly missed advancing to the final, placing 11th overall in the semifinals, her performance earned her Second Team All-America honors. In the 100 meters, she posted a time of 11.41 seconds, finishing 22nd in the semifinals.
Ufodiama’s season has been marked by personal bests in both sprint events. She ran 11.15 seconds in the 100 meters and 22.54 seconds in the 200 meters at the NCAA East Preliminaries in Florida on May 31.
The latter time not only secured her a spot at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo later this year but also established her as the second-fastest under-20 woman in the world for 2025.
Her achievement makes her the third Nigerian woman to meet the World Championship standard for the 200 meters, joining compatriots Favour Ofili and Tima Godbless.
Ufodiama, who was born and raised in the United States, excelled as a dual-sport athlete in high school, balancing basketball and athletics before focusing exclusively on sprinting.
The East Carolina University freshman has also been recognized for her outstanding performances this season, earning multiple honors in the American Athletic Conference, including Women’s Outdoor Track Most Outstanding Performance, Most Valuable Performer, Freshman of the Year, and Most Outstanding Performance for both indoor and outdoor seasons.
With her allegiance switch now complete and a World Championships berth secured, Ufodiama is poised to make a significant impact on the international stage as part of Nigeria’s growing sprint contingent.
