| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sathletics | ||
Representing Nigeria | ||
| All-Africa Games | ||
 | 1978 Algiers | Long jump |
| 1978 Algiers | Triple jump |
Charlton Ehizuelen (born 30 November 1953) is a Nigerian formertrack and field athlete who competed in thelong jump andtriple jump. He set personal bests of 8.26 m (27 ft 1 in) and 16.82 m (55 ft 2 in) for the events, respectively.[1] The latter mark from 1975 remains theNigerian indoor record.
As an international competitor, he became the first person to win both long jump and triple jump titles at theAll-Africa Games, doing so at the1978 Games in Algiers.[2] He was also a double winner at the one-offWest African Games held in 1977.[3] At the inaugural1977 IAAF World Cup he was a long jump bronze medallist and triple jump fourth-placer. He was one of only three members of the African team to reach the podium that year, alongside EthiopiansMiruts Yifter andEshetu Tura.[4] He represented Africa again at the1981 IAAF World Cup, but was eighth in the long jump on that occasion.[1] His international career on the highest stage was stymied by Nigeria's boycotts of the1976 Montreal Olympics where he was a favorite for a medal[5] and the1978 Commonwealth Games,[6] done in response toSouth African apartheid.[7]
Ehizuelen attendedUniversity of Illinois and won theNCAA Division I Championship titles in themen's long jump (1975) and themen's triple jump (1974). He was the first African to win either title. He also twice won the long jump at theNCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships (1976, 1977).[8][9] His success in the American collegiate system came at a time of growing foreign participation in college track, with eight non-Americans winning titles at the 1975 NCAA Championships.[10] He also competed collegiately in his native continent, winning a long jump/triple jump double at the 1975All-Africa University Games and defending his long jump title four years later.[11] He remained based in the United States during his career and was the long jump winner at theUSA Indoor Track and Field Championships.[12]
Ehizuelen remains resident in the United States, is a member ofUSA Track and Field and has advocated greater support of the Nigerian diaspora to bolster the nation's sporting success.[6]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | All-Africa University Games | Accra, Ghana | 1st | Long jump | 7.94 m |
| 1st | Triple jump | 15.80 m | |||
| 1977 | IAAF World Cup | Düsseldorf, West Germany | 3rd | Long jump | 7.89 |
| 4th | Triple jump | 16.31 | |||
| West African Games | Lagos, Nigeria | 1st | Long jump | 7.92 m | |
| 1st | Triple jump | 16.55 m | |||
| 1978 | All-Africa Games | Algiers, Algeria | 1st | Long jump | 7.92 m |
| 1st | Triple jump | 16.51 m | |||
| 1979 | All-Africa University Games | Nairobi, Kenya | 1st | Long jump | 7.60 m |
| 1981 | IAAF World Cup | Rome, Italy | 8th | Long jump | 7.47 m |
