Nigeria, May 12 -- Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will not defend his men's shot put title at the 2026 CAA African Championships in Ghana after withdrawing from Nigeria's contingent ahead of the competition.

The absence of the three-time African champion was confirmed on Monday, barely 24 hours before the championship begins at the University of Ghana Sports Complex, where Africa's biggest athletics event will run from 12 to 17 May.

Enekwechi's withdrawal represents a significant setback for Team Nigeria, particularly in the field events, where the country was already facing major absences.

Nigeria will now head into the shot put events with a much leaner squad following the earlier absence of women's African shot put record holder Jessica Oji....