Nigeria quartet to the world Relay Championship in Botswana have qualified for the World Mixed 4×100m at the World Championship scheduled for Beijing, China.
The quartet comprising Favor Ashe, Jennifer Chukwuka-Obi, Chidera Ezeakor and Maria Thompson achieved the feat on Saturday at the ongoing World Relay Championship in Botswana.
Nigeria clocked 40.24s to finish 4th in Heat 1 of the Mixed 4×100, the fastest time ever by an African country.
Canada won the semi-final in a world record time of 40.07s, ahead of Germany in 40.15s and the Netherlands in 40.20s, as Nigeria finished among the best-placed qualifiers for the final.
The team still has to wait for all three heats to be concluded before confirming their qualification to the 2027 World Mixed 4×100m in Beijing.
The 2027 World Athletics Championships is scheduled to take place from Sept. 11 to 19, 2027.
The qualification marks a major boost for Nigeria’s relay program, even as the team continues to battle across other events in Gaborone, with mixed fortunes in their bid to secure additional tickets for Beijing.
Nigeria’s participation in several other relay events has been affected by the absence of key athletes, including Rosemary Chukwuma, Blessing Ogundiran and Anita Enaruna, who were unable to travel for the competition.
Their absence contributed to setbacks in the women’s 4x100m, women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m events, where Nigeria failed to secure further automatic qualification places for next year’s championships.
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Despite those challenges, Team Nigeria remain in contention for additional qualification opportunities through the last-chance rounds in the men’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m events.
In the mixed 4x400m, Nigeria faced a particularly difficult draw, up against hosts Botswana, South Africa, Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany, with only two automatic qualification spots available.
Similar high-pressure scenarios confronted the men’s and women’s 4x400m teams, as well as the women’s 4x100m squad, which had been forced into the repechage after a baton exchange failure earlier in the competition.
The men’s 4x100m team, however, still has a chance of progression after being drawn in a more open heat featuring Jamaica, Japan and Belgium, where clean baton exchanges could prove decisive.
Nigeria’s strongest position remains in the mixed 4x100m relay, where qualification has already been secured and attention now turns to competing for medals against the world’s top sprint nations and also participation in the upcoming 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
With Jamaica, the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain and Great Britain and Northern Ireland all in the final field, Nigeria will aim to produce another standout performance after their record-breaking run.
As the World Relays conclude today, Nigeria will be hoping to leave Gaborone with a significant achievement in the mixed 4x100m, while still fighting to extend their representation at the 2027 World Championships in China in other events.
NAN
