Nigerian Athletes Cite Jet Lag at World U-20 Championships

Nigerian athletes competing at the 2026 World U-20 Athletics Championships in Oregon cited jet lag and their late arrival in the United States as reasons for their underwhelming performances. The mixed 4x400m team, consisting of Jecinta Lawrence, Faith Ezechukwu, David Udoh, and Perfect Faye, finished sixth in their heat and did not qualify for the final.

This was a stark contrast to Nigeria's success in the inaugural mixed 4x400m title in 2021. The team departed for the championships on Tuesday and arrived just hours before the morning session on Wednesday.

Ezechukwu remarked on the stressful journey and expressed hope for better performance in future events, while Lawrence noted that an earlier arrival could have improved their results. Other Nigerian athletes, including Tejiri Godwin and Rosemary Nwankwo, also faced challenges in their respective events, with Godwin finishing sixth in the men’s 100m semi-finals and Nwankwo missing the women’s 100m final.