WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A member of the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will be officially inducted on Friday.
Enekwechi represented Purdue and his native Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics this past summer.
A standout for the Men's Track & Field program, he is a 13-time All-American who finished as the 2016 NCAA Championships runner-up in the weight throw and shot put.
Additionally, Enekwechi was a Big Ten champion in the weight and hammer throws and swept the 2016 Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year and Field Athlete of the Championships in the indoor and outdoor seasons.
He was the first three-time champion in the hammer throw in conference history, and he still holds the school records in all four events he competed in.
Q: How would you describe your approach to your athletic and academic pursuits during your time at Purdue?
Enekwechi: For me, athletics was a vehicle to an education that was paid for. When I arrived on campus, I quickly realized that I needed to make the sport work not just for myself and my family, but for my teammates and coaches. I knew I needed to change to meet the demands of collegiate athletics as well as the classroom. I approached both the same way. I worked with and emulated people better than me on the field, in study groups and with tutors. Putting myself in situations where I could learn allowed me to grow in my time as a student-athlete.
Q: What did you learn during your time at Purdue that has been the most valuable for you?
Enekwechi: In my time at Purdue, I learned that fear and excitement are the same exact emotion. It just matters how you channel that anxiety. I learned this through athletics, competing often as an underdog and was able to apply it to other facets of my life.
Q: What advice would you give current student-athletes that you wish someone had given you during your time at Purdue?
Enekwechi: I would advise the current student-athletes to get off to a great start academically. You'll have an easy time keeping your grades up if you start on a high note.
Q: What is your favorite Purdue Athletics memory?
Enekwechi: My favorite athletics memory at Purdue was winning my third Big Ten Championship in the hammer throw in 2015. I went in almost six meters behind the leader on the day, but I improved by 3 meters for a big upset. The team needed those points desperately, and I couldn't have been prouder to deliver.
Q: Did you have a favorite coach, trainer, or administrator?
Enekwechi: I had an overall great experience with Coach Keith McBride, the other event coaches as well as the support staff at Purdue. I can say that Coach Rolando Greene stepped up many times to counsel me when issues in my personal life would bubble to the surface.
I remember in Eugene, Oregon, after my final NCAA Championships when I was looking to stay at Purdue and train as a post-collegiate athlete. I'd asked Coach Greene's permission to do so, and he was almost offended. He told me that he knew I'd continue on and that so long as I don't get in any trouble, West Lafayette is home. I've been here ever since.
Coach Greene was also the first person to tell me that I could one day throw over 70 feet in the shot put. My best at the time was 63 feet. Today, my personal best set this past season was 71'11. Coach Greene and Coach McBride planted the seeds for my professional career.
Enekwechi represented Purdue and his native Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics this past summer.
A standout for the Men's Track & Field program, he is a 13-time All-American who finished as the 2016 NCAA Championships runner-up in the weight throw and shot put.
Additionally, Enekwechi was a Big Ten champion in the weight and hammer throws and swept the 2016 Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year and Field Athlete of the Championships in the indoor and outdoor seasons.
He was the first three-time champion in the hammer throw in conference history, and he still holds the school records in all four events he competed in.
Q: How would you describe your approach to your athletic and academic pursuits during your time at Purdue?
Enekwechi: For me, athletics was a vehicle to an education that was paid for. When I arrived on campus, I quickly realized that I needed to make the sport work not just for myself and my family, but for my teammates and coaches. I knew I needed to change to meet the demands of collegiate athletics as well as the classroom. I approached both the same way. I worked with and emulated people better than me on the field, in study groups and with tutors. Putting myself in situations where I could learn allowed me to grow in my time as a student-athlete.
Q: What did you learn during your time at Purdue that has been the most valuable for you?
Enekwechi: In my time at Purdue, I learned that fear and excitement are the same exact emotion. It just matters how you channel that anxiety. I learned this through athletics, competing often as an underdog and was able to apply it to other facets of my life.
Q: What advice would you give current student-athletes that you wish someone had given you during your time at Purdue?
Enekwechi: I would advise the current student-athletes to get off to a great start academically. You'll have an easy time keeping your grades up if you start on a high note.
Q: What is your favorite Purdue Athletics memory?
Enekwechi: My favorite athletics memory at Purdue was winning my third Big Ten Championship in the hammer throw in 2015. I went in almost six meters behind the leader on the day, but I improved by 3 meters for a big upset. The team needed those points desperately, and I couldn't have been prouder to deliver.
Q: Did you have a favorite coach, trainer, or administrator?
Enekwechi: I had an overall great experience with Coach Keith McBride, the other event coaches as well as the support staff at Purdue. I can say that Coach Rolando Greene stepped up many times to counsel me when issues in my personal life would bubble to the surface.
I remember in Eugene, Oregon, after my final NCAA Championships when I was looking to stay at Purdue and train as a post-collegiate athlete. I'd asked Coach Greene's permission to do so, and he was almost offended. He told me that he knew I'd continue on and that so long as I don't get in any trouble, West Lafayette is home. I've been here ever since.
Coach Greene was also the first person to tell me that I could one day throw over 70 feet in the shot put. My best at the time was 63 feet. Today, my personal best set this past season was 71'11. Coach Greene and Coach McBride planted the seeds for my professional career.