Nigeria has set a new African record in the mixed 4×100 metres relay race.
The team — Favour Ashe, Jennifer Obi, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Omokwe — ran a time of 40.24 seconds on Saturday. They achieved this during one of the heats at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana.
Even though Nigeria finished fourth in the race, they still qualified for the final. They got one of the two spots given to teams that did not finish in the top positions automatically.
Because of this result, Nigeria has also secured a place in the mixed 4x100m relay at the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
The final of the race will take place on Sunday at 4:05 pm Nigerian time.
However, Nigeria did not do well in the other events.
The men’s 4x100m team finished fifth. The women’s team could not complete their race because they made a mistake while passing the baton. The team was also weakened because Rosemary Chukwuma, Blessings Ogundiran, and Anita Enaruna pulled out late.
In the 4x400m events, Nigeria came third in the mixed race. Both the men’s and women’s teams finished sixth in their races.
Nigeria will have another chance to qualify for more events at the World Championships through the repechage races on Sunday.
