Charlton Ehizuelen (born 30 November 1953) is a Nigerian former track and field athlete who competed in the long jump and triple jump. He set personal bests of and for the events, respectively. The latter mark from 1975 remains the Nigerian indoor record.

As an international competitor, he became the first person to win both long jump and triple jump titles at the All-Africa Games, doing so at the 1978 Games in Algiers.All-Africa Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-04-03. He was also a double winner at the one-off West African Games held in 1977.West African Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-04-03. At the inaugural 1977 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 Ethiopians Miruts Yifter and Eshetu Tura.IAAF World Cup. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-04-03. He represented Africa again at the 1981 IAAF World Cup, but was eighth in the long jump on that occasion.Charlton Ehizuelen. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2017-04-03. His international career on the highest stage was stymied by Nigeria's boycotts of the 1976 Montreal Olympics where he was a favorite for a medal and the 1978 Commonwealth Games,Abdullahi, Sadiq (2012-12-05). Sports Development in Nigeria: The Charlton Ehizuelen Story . Nigerians in America. Retrieved on 2017-04-03. done in response to South African apartheid.1976: African countries boycott Olympics. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2017-04-03.

Ehizuelen attended University of Illinois and won the NCAA Division I Championship titles in the men's long jump (1975) and the men's triple jump (1974). He was the first African to win either title. He also twice won the long jump at the NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships (1976, 1977).NCAA Division I Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-04-03.NCAA Outdoor Division I Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-04-03. 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.Reid, Ron (1975-06-16). it Was a Foreign Affair. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on 2017-04-03. He also competed collegiately in his native continent, winning a long jump/triple jump double at the 1975 All-Africa University Games and defending his long jump title four years later.All-Africa University Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-04-03. He remained based in the United States during his career and was the long jump winner at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-04-03.

Ehizuelen remains resident in the United States, is a member of USA Track and Field and has advocated greater support of the Nigerian diaspora to bolster the nation's sporting success.

International competitions 1975All-Africa University GamesAccra, Ghana1stLong jump7.94 m1stTriple jump15.80 m1977IAAF World CupDüsseldorf, West Germany3rdLong jump7.894thTriple jump16.31West African GamesLagos, Nigeria1stLong jump7.92 m1stTriple jump16.55 m1978All-Africa GamesAlgiers, Algeria1stLong jump7.92 m1stTriple jump16.51 m1979All-Africa University GamesNairobi, Kenya1stLong jump7.60 m1981IAAF World CupRome, Italy8thLong jump7.47 m

National titles USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Long jump: 1978 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships Long jump: 1975 Triple jump: 1974 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships Long jump: 1976, 1977

Seasonal bests Long jump 1975: 1976: 1976 Men's Long Jump. Mennea. Retrieved on 2017-04-03. 1977: 1978: 1979: 1980: 1981: 1981 Men's Long Jump. Mennea. Retrieved on 2017-04-03.

See also List of African Games medalists in athletics (men)

References

External links

All-Athletics profile