July 23, (THEWILL) – Nigeria hopes for medals at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Oregon, was boosted when Joy Udo-Gabriel, Favor Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Grace Nwokocha, qualified for the Women’s 4x100m event final on Saturday.
The quartet marked the admirable accomplishment after setting a Season’s Best (SB) time of 42.68 seconds to place third in Heat 2 to become the first Nigerian team to qualify for the women’s 4x100m final at the World Championships in 11 years, in addition to being the second Nigerian relay to reach the final in Oregon.
Team USA won Heat 2 with a blistering World Leading (WL) time of 41.56 seconds. With a time of 42.61 seconds, Spain set a new National Record (NR) to place second behind the Americans. Apart from Nigeria, the US and Spain, other teams in the final include Great Britain, Jamaica, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.
The last time Nigeria participated in the women’s 4x100m final was at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. There, the team of Gloria Asumnu, Damola Osayomi, Agnes Osazuwa, and Blessing Okagbare were denied a podium ceremony as they finished fifth.
Sadly, the Oregon men’s 4x100m team did not fare similarly, as they suffered defeat, while the women advanced to the final. A bungled baton exchange led to the disqualification of the Raymond Ekevwo, Godson Brume, Udodi Onwuzurike, and Favour Ashe foursome, denying Nigeria another medal prospect.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
