Jami Schlueter’s decision to transfer his athletic allegiance from Great Britain to Nigeria has given a rare boost to the nation’s combined events programme, even as several top athletes are opting to compete for other countries.
Born to a German father and Nigerian mother, Schlueter has embraced his Nigerian heritage and quickly emerged as one of the country’s leading multi-event athletes. He won Big Ten silver medals in both the heptathlon and decathlon in 2025 and is currently competing at the US Combined Events Championships in Indianapolis.
After four events of the men’s heptathlon on Saturday, he has accumulated 3,273 points, highlighted by a personal best of 7.39m in the long jump, keeping him on track to challenge his own national record.
With a decathlon best of 7,739 points, Schlueter now aims to surpass Ituah Enahoro’s 8,048-point mark set in June 2018, before Enahoro switched allegiance to Germany in 2019. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer could offer a further platform for his progress.
World Athletics confirmed that Schlueter represented Great Britain until November 13, 2025, becoming eligible to compete for Nigeria shortly after under the applicable rules.
The University of Washington graduate has continued to improve under the guidance of coach Chris Huffins and alongside top multi-event athletes such as Lindon Victor, Kendrick Thompson, and Devon Williams. At the Texas A&M Charlie Thomas Invitational on February 7, he set a Nigerian national record in the heptathlon with 5,789 points, surpassing Chukwuma Maduka’s 2018 mark of 4,859.
Combined events, which include the decathlon and heptathlon, require versatility across sprints, jumps, and throws. While Nigeria has historically focused on sprinting, it has produced notable figures in these disciplines, including Mbanefo Akpom and Peter Moreno, with Jefrey Nmesirionye recently winning the high jump segment of the decathlon at the 2024 African Championships.
Schlueter’s arrival comes amid concerns over athlete departures. In 2025, 200m record holder Favour Ofili switched to Turkey, while sprinters Favour Ashe and Sunday Akintan are reportedly moving to represent Qatar. Past athletes such as Annette Echikunwoke, Salwa Eid Naser, and Francis Obikwelu also left Nigeria to achieve global success.
Against this backdrop, Schlueter’s allegiance switch offers optimism for Nigeria’s combined events programme. While the future impact remains to be seen, his presence brings renewed hope for a discipline in need of revival.
