Nigeria’s aspirations to secure tickets for the men’s 4x100m, 4x400m, and women’s 4x400m relays at the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships were dashed as their efforts fell short at the African Region 2 relay events held in Lome, Togo.
The disappointment came despite the previous qualification of the women’s 4x100m and mixed relay teams during the 18th World Championships in Oregon, United States, last year.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) sent a contingent to Togo with hopes of clinching qualification in the remaining relay events. However, the athletes’ performances were not enough to meet the required standards. The women’s 4x400m team finished with a time of 3:29.09, while the men’s 4x400m team recorded an impressive 3:02.91. Unfortunately, both teams missed the qualification times by mere microseconds.
The men’s quartet, comprising Dubem Nwachukwu, Nathaniel Ezekiel, Ogazi Samuel, and Chidi Okezie, achieved a season’s best time of 3:02.91, elevating them to 18th in the qualification rankings. This marks the fastest time by a Nigerian men’s 4x400m team since July 2012. Similarly, the women’s 4x400m team, consisting of Imaobong Nse Uko, Patience Okon-George, Queen Osunbor, and Omolara Ogunmakinju, clocked in at 3:29.09, narrowly missing the last qualification spot. Notably, this time represents the fastest performance by a Nigerian women’s 4x400m relay team since the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
In a previous race on Friday, the Nigerian men’s 4x100m team displayed a promising performance, clocking 38.73 seconds. This achievement moved them closer to securing one of the 16 spots in the event in Budapest, Hungary, next month. The team, comprising Udodi Onwuzurike, Ushoritse Itsekiri, Alaba Akintola, and Seye Ogunlewe, claimed first place in the race and rose three positions in the qualification rankings to joint 18th with the Belgian 400 relay team.
Before Friday’s race, Nigeria held the 21st position based on the team’s time of 38.81 at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last August. To bolster their chances of qualifying and supplant the Australian 4x100m team, who ran 38.50 in March, the Nigerians need to achieve a time of 38.49.
AFN Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku, expressed determination to ensure qualification by participating in additional relay events before the qualification window closes later this month. Despite the setback in Togo, Team Nigeria remains focused on securing their place in the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships and showcasing their athletic prowess on the global stage.
