Nigeria's Mixed 4x100m Relay Team Sets African Record

The Nigerian mixed 4x100m relay team, consisting of Ash Jennif, Chukwuka Obi, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Thompson, successfully reached the finals at the World Athletics Championship, setting a new African record with a time of 40.24 seconds. They qualified alongside Canada, which won the race with a world record time of 40.07 seconds, while Germany and the Netherlands placed second and third, respectively.

Despite this achievement, Nigeria's men's 4x100m, men's 4x400m, and mixed 4x400m relay teams fell short of automatic qualification. The Athletics Federation of Nigeria attributed these results to the inexperience of home-based runners, following the late withdrawal of three foreign-based athletes.

A statement issued on Saturday indicated that the absence of these athletes forced inexperienced runners to step in. The Nigerian women's 4x100m and 4x400m teams, as well as the mixed 4x400m team, also failed to secure qualification for the 2027 World Championship, but Nigeria will have an opportunity to qualify through a repechage round scheduled for early Sunday.