Follow Us on Google
By Joe Apu
A youthful, largely home-based Team Nigeria delivered an inspired performance at the World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, securing three qualification spots for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
Competing at the World Athletics Relays inside the National Stadium in Gaborone, the Nigerian contingent overcame the absence of several international stars to stamp their authority on the global stage.
According to the AFN media, Nigeria sealed additional qualification tickets in the women’s 4x100m and mixed 4x400m relays on the final day, adding to an earlier historic success in the mixed 4x100m event.
The tone was set on day one when the mixed 4x100m quartet of Favour Ashe, Jennifer Obi Chukwuka, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Thompson Omokwe produced a historic run of 40.24 seconds. The performance secured victory and set a new African record, earning Nigeria its first-ever qualification in the event ahead of its debut at the World Championships.
Momentum continued on the final day as the mixed 4x400m team, anchored by Chidi Okezie alongside Nathaniel Ezekiel, Taiwo Mary Kudoro, and Patience Okon George, delivered a composed race to clock a season’s best of 3:12.88 and clinch qualification.
In the women’s 4x100m, Nigeria rebounded strongly from a baton error on day one. The quartet clocked 42.94 seconds — the country’s fastest time since the Paris 2024 Olympics — with teenage anchor Miracle Ezechukwu leading a determined finish.
The performances highlighted the depth of Nigeria’s domestic athletics system, with home-grown athletes rising to the occasion despite limited preparation time and the absence of established stars.
Attention now turns to remaining qualification opportunities, with Nigeria’s men’s and women’s 4x400m teams, as well as the men’s 4x100m squad, still in contention when the qualification window reopens later this year.
There is already growing anticipation over potential combinations involving Favour Ashe, Kanyinsola Ajayi, Israel Okon, and Ushoritse Itsekiri in the men’s 4x100m, as well as emerging 400m talent Samuel Ogazi.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s mixed 4x100m team has also secured a place at the forthcoming Ultimate Championship in Budapest, where they will face top global competition.
For now, Nigeria’s showing in Gaborone has sent a clear message — the nation’s athletics future is not only abroad but thriving within its domestic ranks.
