Nigeria has set a new African record in the mixed 4×100 metres relay event at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone.
News Point Nigeria Sport report that Nigerian quartet of Favour Ashe, Jennifer Obi, Chidera Ezeakor and Maria Omokwe produced a blistering performance on Saturday, clocking a record time of 40.24 seconds in one of the heats of the competition.
Although Nigeria finished fourth in the race, the impressive time secured one of the two non-automatic qualification spots, earning the team a place in the final of the mixed 4×100m relay event.
The performance also secured Nigeria’s qualification for the mixed 4×100m relay event at the 2027 World Athletics Championships scheduled to hold in Beijing.
The final of the mixed 4×100m relay will take place on Sunday at 4:05 pm Nigerian time.
However, it was not an entirely successful outing for Team Nigeria, as the country failed to qualify for the finals in five other events at the championships.
Nigeria’s men’s 4×100m relay team finished fifth in their heat, while the women’s team failed to complete their race following a baton exchange error.
The women’s relay team was further weakened by the late withdrawal of Rosemary Chukwuma, Blessings Ogundiran and Anita Enaruna.
In the 4×400m relay events, Nigeria finished third in the mixed category, while both the men’s and women’s teams placed sixth in their respective heats.
Despite the setbacks, Nigeria will still have another opportunity to qualify for the 2027 World Athletics Championships through the repechage races scheduled for Sunday.
