Nigeria’s women’s 4×400 metres relay team has earned qualification for the upcoming World Relays Championships after an impressive outing at the MTN Champs Athletics Classics held in Calabar, Cross River State.
The Nigerian quartet of Patience Okon George, Anita Enaruna, Treasure Okereke, and Jecinter Lawrence delivered one of the standout performances of the competition, finishing the race with a time of 3 minutes 31.14 seconds on the final day of the meet.
Their performance lifted Nigeria to 21st place in the global rankings and edged Mexico out of the qualification spots for the World Relays in Botswana in May. Ethiopia finished second in the race with a time of 3 minutes 38.31 seconds, while Nigeria’s B team placed third after posting 3 minutes 40.50 seconds.
The News Chronicle understands that Nigeria’s men’s 4×400 metres relay team came close to qualifying but narrowly missed the mark after clocking 3 minutes 04.59 seconds, just short of the required standard. Team member Nathaniel Samson said the athletes remain optimistic that they can improve their time in upcoming competitions.
Samson also highlighted the need for stronger financial support for athletes, noting that better funding would allow competitors to focus on training and international performance. He praised the MTN Champs initiative for helping discover and develop young athletic talents across Nigeria.
In other events, Toheebat Jimoh claimed victory in the women’s 200 metres with a personal best of 24.51 seconds, while Olaoluwa Obashola won the men’s 200 metres in 21.74 seconds.
