World Athletics Championships: Eseme to lead Cameroon’s quartet as event begins Saturday.

The reigning African Games and La Francophonie Games 100m gold medalist will be accompanied in the quartet by discus throw star, Nora Monie Atim, triple jumper, Anne Suzanna Fosther-Katta, and rising Cameroonian female sprinting sensation, Etame Kole Herverge.

The Cameroonian contingent for the forthcoming event was confirmed last weekend. This was when athletics’ global governing body, World Athletics, announced the entry list of participants in the leadup to the start of the Tokyo competition which will run from September 13 to 21.

The feat of fielding four athletes for the 2025 competition indicates an improvement from the team that Cameroon sent in for the 2023 edition in Budapest in Hungary.

Cameroon entered three athletes during the 2023 showpiece with Eseme leading a group that also included triple jumper Veronique Kossendra Rey and Nora Atim. 

Challenging mission for Cameroonians 

The Cameroonian ambassadors head to the Tokyo competition hoping to rewrite Cameroon’s poor records in the World Athletics Championships which is celebrated as the biggest athletics competition in the world.

Cameroon has won just two medals in the World Athletics Championships since the competition was launched over four decades ago.

Both medals came through triple jumper Francoise Mbango who claimed silver in the women’s triple jump series at the 2001 and 2003 editions in Edmonton and Paris in Canada and France respectively. 

Eseme is regarded as Cameroon’s biggest medal hopeful going into the 2025 competition. This, per analysts, is owing to the rich experience that the former student of Saint Joseph College Sasse has gathered in major global competitions, the sprinter having notably previously starred in the 2019 and 2023 editions of the competition.

The short distance specialist also appeared in the last two editions of the Olympic Games, notably making the semifinals in the 100m series in Paris last year. 

He also qualified for the finals of the last two editions of the World Athletics-sanctioned Diamond League competition. This, further building his curriculum vitae which also includes records of his brilliant participations in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games, the African Athletics Championships and other regional and global events.

Inside Cameroonians’ calendar in Tokyo

Discus throw sensation, Nora Atim is expected to be the first Cameroonian to when the 2025 championships flagged off, per the official calendar of the Tokyo event.

The 28-year-old is expected to be on the starting block between 1am and 3pm Cameroon time on Saturday September 13 competing in the qualifying series of the women’s discus throw series.

If the Cameroon national record holder in discus throw goes through successfully in the qualifying stage, she will compete in the final of the event on Sunday September 14. The final will flag off at 11:12pm Cameroon time.

Eseme is expected to join the race on Saturday September 13 when he stars in the first round of the men’s 100m series at about 11:55am. If the Cameroonian qualifies from the first phase, he will participate in the semifinal series at 12:45pm on Sunday September 14. The final of the event is set for 2:20pm Cameroon time on the same day. 

The 32-year-old’s races in the 200m series are programmed to hold next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday where he is looking to compete in the heats, semifinals and final races depending on the result that he registers in each of the stages.

Enter Fosther-Katta, Etame Kole

Anne Suzanna Fosther-Katta is tipped to begin her campaign on Wednesday September 16 when she participates in the qualifying phase of the women’s triple jump series. The series will set off at 11:40pm Cameroon time.

If she qualifies from the qualifying series, she will compete in the final on Thursday September 18. The final will begin at 12:55pm Cameroon time.

Young sprinter, Etame Kole’s program indicates that she will begin her journey on Saturday September 13 in the first round of the women’s 100m series. The exercise will flag off at 10:55am Cameroon time.

If the 23-year-old makes it out of the first round, she will compete in the semifinals on Sunday September 14 in a showdown that is set to kick start at 12:20pm Cameroon. 

The rising Cameroonian sprinting queen will further compete in the final at 12:14pm on the same day if she goes through the semifinal test successfully.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3561 of Thursday September 11, 2025