The final day of the World Relay Championships in Gaborone, Botswana, was a triumphant one for Team Nigeria, as two more relay teams punched their tickets to the World Championships. These latest qualifiers join the 4x100m mixed relay team, which secured its spot on the opening day of the competition.
In a thrilling performance, the 4x400m mixed relay quartet of Samson Nathaniel, Taiwo Kudoro, Chidi Okezie, and Patience Okon-George delivered a season-best time of 3:12.88. They finished second in Heat Two of the repechage, just behind South Africa, who clocked 3:12.77. Both teams successfully sealed their places for next year’s World Championships.
The women’s 4x100m team also staged an impressive comeback. After a baton mishap on day one, the all-home-based squad, comprising Rosemary Nwankwo, Jennifer Chukwuka, Maria Thompson-Omokwe, and Miracle Ezechukwu, finished second in their heat. They clocked a sharp 42.94 seconds, narrowly trailing France, who won in 42.92 seconds.
Maria Thompson-Omokwe, a member of the squad, expressed immense pride in the team’s ability to succeed without foreign-based stars.
“I’m super excited with the effort we put in; people were expecting the 10 runners and the USA-based athletes, but we showed that home-based athletes can also put up a good performance if given the opportunity and support,” she said. “We are going to go back home now and correct what we didn’t do, so they should get ready.”
Additionally, the 4x100m mixed relay team of Favour Ashe, Jennifer Chukwuka Obi, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Thompson-Omokwe earned a spot at the inaugural World Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary, scheduled for September 2026. They finished sixth in a final dominated by Jamaica, who set a stunning new World Record of 39.62 seconds. The Nigerian team will also take home $6,000 for their efforts.
It wasn’t all celebrations, however, as some teams narrowly missed the mark.
The men’s 4x100m team finished third in their repechage with a time of 38.50s, hampered by inconsistent baton exchanges. Similarly, the men’s 4x400m team, Gafar Badmus, Emmanuel Ojeli, Victor Sampson, and Ezekiel Asuquo, ran a 3:01.43 to finish third, just losing out to Senegal’s 3:01.28 despite a powerful final leg from Asuquo.
The women’s 4x400m team was unable to compete due to an incomplete lineup and was recorded as a DNS (Did Not Start). In other action, the United States took the gold in the men’s 4x100m, led by Ronnie Baker and Max Thomas.
