Team Nigeria’s female relay team has earned a spot in the 4×400-meter event at the World Championships in Budapest.
The team achieved this on Friday when they clocked 3:27.60 at the Deji Tinubu/Lagos Athletics Series in Lagos.
The quartet of Omolara Omotosho, Patience Okon-George, Ella Onojuvwevwo, and Imaobong Uko performed excellently, achieving a 14th place in the world rankings with a Season’s Best time of 3:27.60s.
The Nigerian women displayed excellent coordination and executed baton exchanges flawlessly, demonstrating their dominance in the competition as they outperformed Team Ghana, who settled for fourth place.
But the men’s relay team-Dubem Nwachukwu, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Samuel Ogazi, and Chidi Okezie, narrowly missed out on securing a spot in the 4x400m event.
This was despite an impressive Season’s Best time of 3:02.64 seconds while fending off both Ghana and the Benin Republic. The time places them 17th, just shy of the top 16 required for qualification.
The reported injury to Chidi Okezie, a vital member of the Nigerian quartet, amplified the disappointment of the near-miss for the men’s team.
In another event, Team Nigeria emerged victorious in the men’s 4x100m, defeating Ghana and Benin Republic with a time of 38.65 seconds. However, this winning time did not take Nigeria within the top 16 rankings necessary for qualification for the World Championships.
Efforts are, however, underway by Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) officials to secure another opportunity to compete in an upcoming international meet. This additional chance will determine if they meet the qualification standard.
The mixed relay and the Women’s 4x400m teams are the only relay teams that have qualified for the Budapest games.