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Nigeria’s team endured a tough opening at the 26026 World Athletics U-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, failing to advance to a single track final on the competition’s first day.
The disappointment began when the country’s 4x400m mixed relay squad was eliminated in the qualifying round. Individual hopes then faded as sprinters Tejiri Godwin and Chigozie Rosemary Nwankwo were both knocked out at the semifinal stage of their respective 100m events.
Godwin placed sixth in his men’s 100m semifinal, clocking 10.34 seconds — not quick enough to progress. South Africa’s Marko Ferreira topped that heat in 10.13 seconds, with American Kyler Brown close behind in 10.16.
In the women’s 100m, Nwankwo finished fifth in her semifinal with a time of 11.54 seconds. Jamaica’s Shanoya Douglas won the heat in 11.21 seconds, followed by Mariah Maxwell in 11.25.
Nigerian athletes attributed the shaky start partly to fatigue, saying they had only touched down in Oregon on the morning of competition, leaving virtually no time to recover from travel or adjust before racing.
Team Nigeria will now look to bounce back in the events still ahead, including the mixed 4x100m relay and the men’s and women’s 200m and 400m, as the squad seeks to salvage its medal hopes at the championships.
