Team Nigeria’s youthful athletics squad delivered a historic performance at the World Championships in Gaborone, Botswana, booking a place in the final of the 4×100m mixed relay and setting a new African record in the process.
READ ALSO: Cagey! Falconets Fly Past Stubborn Young Scorchers in Ikenne, Ready to Complete Job in Lilongwe
The quartet of Favour Ashe, Jennifer Chukwuka-Obi, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Thompson clocked an impressive 40.24 seconds in the semi-final, finishing among the top teams and rewriting the continental record they previously held.
By advancing to Sunday’s final, Nigeria has also secured automatic qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in China, marking a significant milestone for the emerging team.
The semi-final race was fiercely contested, with Canada storming to victory in a world record time of 40.07 seconds. Germany followed closely in 40.15 seconds, while the Netherlands placed third in 40.20 seconds.
Despite the success in the mixed relay, it was a mixed outing overall for Team Nigeria, largely composed of home-based athletes, as they narrowly missed out on qualification in four other relay events.
The team’s challenge was compounded by the absence of key athletes, including Rosemary Chukwuma, Blessing Ogundiran, and Anita Enaruna.
Their absence was felt across the women’s 4×100m, women’s 4×400m, and the 4×400m events—races in which Nigeria fell short of securing qualification spots.
Attention now turns to Sunday morning’s last-chance qualifiers, where Team Nigeria will compete in the men’s 4×100m, men’s 4×400m, and mixed 4×400m relays, hoping to secure additional tickets to the 2027 championships.
With momentum from their record-breaking run, Nigeria will be aiming to convert potential into more qualification spots and cap off a promising campaign on a high.
