One of the best and most decorated athletes in Purdue history, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi is a volunteer coach for the Boilermaker track & field team, working with the throwers.
Enekwechi, who has represented Nigeria at four World Championships, is a 12-time NCAA All-American with five NCAA medals. The 2016 Purdue graduate won four Big Ten championships and owns four school records.
The 2016 Nigerian national champion in the shot put, Enekwechi is a 2020 Olympic qualifier and is training for the Games with Purdue coach Norbert Elliott.
In 2019, Enekwechi recorded a personal-best shot put throw of 21.80 meters to qualify for the 2020 Toyko Olympic Games. He also won shot put at the All-African Games in Rabat, Morocco, with a throw of 21.48m, and finished eighth at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, with a shot put mark of 21.19m.
In 2018, he won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, with a shot put throw of 21.14m, and won the African Championship with a throw of 21.08m in Asaba, Nigeria. He also placed fourth at the Continental Cup (20.82m) and was 14th at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. In 2017, Enekwechi finished 25th at the IAAF World Championships.
As a Boilermaker from 2013-16, Enekwechi competed at all eight indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in his career and won at least a bronze medal every year. He was named USTFCCCA First Team All-America eight times and earned four second team accolades. In Big Ten competition, he won four Big Ten titles, five silver medals and three bronzes.
Enekwechi broke the Purdue record in all four of his primary events. Indoors, he set the shot put record with a throw of 19.95 meters, and his weight throw mark of 24.39m was set in 2015. Outdoors, Enekwechi is No. 1 in the shot put, with a throw of 20.37m in 2016, and the hammer throw, thanks to a mark of 72.77 meters in 2015.
As a senior in 2016, Enekwechi broke both shot put school records at the NCAA Championships. His outdoor record came with an NCAA silver medal with a throw of 20.37 meters, while indoors it was a throw of 19.95 meters to top the program record books and finish fourth. He added a silver medal indoors in the weight throw (23.65m) and also collected All-America honors in the hammer throw after a sixth-place finish outdoors with a 69.74m.
In Big Ten competition, Enekwechi won two championships, outdoors in the hammer throw (69.39m) and indoors in the weight throw (23.76m), along with a pair of silver medals in the shot put (19.85m outdoors, 19.61m indoors).
In 2015, Enekwechi qualified for the outdoor NCAA meet in the hammer and shot put, where he placed sixth in the hammer, with a throw of 68.42 meters, and 22nd in the shot put (18.43m). At the indoor meet, he took bronze in the weight throw (24.18m).
Enekwechi won one Big Ten titles and a pair of silvers as a junior in 2015. His victory came with a school-record hammer throw of 72.77 meters, while he was second in both indoor events, the shot put (18.84m) and weight throw (23.61m).
Enekwechi also broke the Purdue weight throw title in the 2015 indoor season, with a throw of 24.39 meters.
The 2014 season saw Enekwechi place third in the weight throw at the NCAA indoor meet, with a throw of 22.49 meters, and also earned second team All-America honors in the outdoor hammer throw (11th, 64.26m) and indoor shot put (13th, 18.17m). He won his first Big Ten title in the hammer throw (66.22m) and added a silver in the outdoor shot put (19.38m) and two bronze medals indoors (19.05m shot put, 22.53m weight throw).
As a freshman in 2013, Enekwechi won bronze at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a weight throw mark of 21.52 meters and added two 14th-place finishes at his first NCAA outdoor meet (18.32m shot put, 62.75m hammer throw). At the Big Ten indoor meet, he was third in the weight throw (21.90m) and sixth in the shot put (18.17m). Outdoors, Enekwechi placed fourth in the hammer (62.42m) and 11th in the shot put (17.23m).
At Francis Lewis High, Enekwechi won the USATF Youth National Championship in the shot put and was No. 1 in the U.S. in the weight throw with a mark of 75 feet, 8 inches.
Enekwechi earned his bachelors degree in law and society and a minor in organizational leadership and supervision from Purdue in 2016. A native of Queens, New York, his parents are Chrstian and Christiana Enekwechi, and he has two brothers, Chris and Chisom, and a sister, Diamond.
Enekwechi, who has represented Nigeria at four World Championships, is a 12-time NCAA All-American with five NCAA medals. The 2016 Purdue graduate won four Big Ten championships and owns four school records.
The 2016 Nigerian national champion in the shot put, Enekwechi is a 2020 Olympic qualifier and is training for the Games with Purdue coach Norbert Elliott.
In 2019, Enekwechi recorded a personal-best shot put throw of 21.80 meters to qualify for the 2020 Toyko Olympic Games. He also won shot put at the All-African Games in Rabat, Morocco, with a throw of 21.48m, and finished eighth at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, with a shot put mark of 21.19m.
In 2018, he won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, with a shot put throw of 21.14m, and won the African Championship with a throw of 21.08m in Asaba, Nigeria. He also placed fourth at the Continental Cup (20.82m) and was 14th at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. In 2017, Enekwechi finished 25th at the IAAF World Championships.
As a Boilermaker from 2013-16, Enekwechi competed at all eight indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in his career and won at least a bronze medal every year. He was named USTFCCCA First Team All-America eight times and earned four second team accolades. In Big Ten competition, he won four Big Ten titles, five silver medals and three bronzes.
Enekwechi broke the Purdue record in all four of his primary events. Indoors, he set the shot put record with a throw of 19.95 meters, and his weight throw mark of 24.39m was set in 2015. Outdoors, Enekwechi is No. 1 in the shot put, with a throw of 20.37m in 2016, and the hammer throw, thanks to a mark of 72.77 meters in 2015.
As a senior in 2016, Enekwechi broke both shot put school records at the NCAA Championships. His outdoor record came with an NCAA silver medal with a throw of 20.37 meters, while indoors it was a throw of 19.95 meters to top the program record books and finish fourth. He added a silver medal indoors in the weight throw (23.65m) and also collected All-America honors in the hammer throw after a sixth-place finish outdoors with a 69.74m.
In Big Ten competition, Enekwechi won two championships, outdoors in the hammer throw (69.39m) and indoors in the weight throw (23.76m), along with a pair of silver medals in the shot put (19.85m outdoors, 19.61m indoors).
In 2015, Enekwechi qualified for the outdoor NCAA meet in the hammer and shot put, where he placed sixth in the hammer, with a throw of 68.42 meters, and 22nd in the shot put (18.43m). At the indoor meet, he took bronze in the weight throw (24.18m).
Enekwechi won one Big Ten titles and a pair of silvers as a junior in 2015. His victory came with a school-record hammer throw of 72.77 meters, while he was second in both indoor events, the shot put (18.84m) and weight throw (23.61m).
Enekwechi also broke the Purdue weight throw title in the 2015 indoor season, with a throw of 24.39 meters.
The 2014 season saw Enekwechi place third in the weight throw at the NCAA indoor meet, with a throw of 22.49 meters, and also earned second team All-America honors in the outdoor hammer throw (11th, 64.26m) and indoor shot put (13th, 18.17m). He won his first Big Ten title in the hammer throw (66.22m) and added a silver in the outdoor shot put (19.38m) and two bronze medals indoors (19.05m shot put, 22.53m weight throw).
As a freshman in 2013, Enekwechi won bronze at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a weight throw mark of 21.52 meters and added two 14th-place finishes at his first NCAA outdoor meet (18.32m shot put, 62.75m hammer throw). At the Big Ten indoor meet, he was third in the weight throw (21.90m) and sixth in the shot put (18.17m). Outdoors, Enekwechi placed fourth in the hammer (62.42m) and 11th in the shot put (17.23m).
At Francis Lewis High, Enekwechi won the USATF Youth National Championship in the shot put and was No. 1 in the U.S. in the weight throw with a mark of 75 feet, 8 inches.
Enekwechi earned his bachelors degree in law and society and a minor in organizational leadership and supervision from Purdue in 2016. A native of Queens, New York, his parents are Chrstian and Christiana Enekwechi, and he has two brothers, Chris and Chisom, and a sister, Diamond.