GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Nigeria’s relay stars took to the track in Gaborone over the weekend for the 2026 World Athletics Relays. It was a high-octane meet that saw national records shattered and three critical tickets booked for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
Of the six Nigerian relay teams that took part at the World Relays, the Mixed 4x100m quartet of Favour Ashe, Jennifer Chukwuka Obi, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Thompson-Omokwe delivered the performance of the tournament. They clocked a stunning 40.24 seconds in the heats to not only secure their spot for Beijing but also set a brand-new African Record, before eventually finishing sixth in the global final.
After a shaky start on Day 1, the Women’s 4x100m team of Chigozie Rosemary, Jennifer Obi, Maria Thompson, and teenage sensation Miracle Ezechukwu bounced back in the repechage. Their time of 42.94 seconds was their fastest since Paris 2024 and was more than enough to qualify for the World Championships.
The Mixed 4x400m team leaned on the experience of Patience Okon-George and Chidi Okezie to execute a perfect race plan, posting a season’s best of 3 minutes 12.88 seconds to finish safely within the qualification bracket.
However, the Men’s 4x400m team, led by Ezekiel Asuquo, finished third in their repechage heat with a time of 3 minutes 1.04 seconds, which was almost — but not quite — good enough, as they missed the qualification cut by a heartbreaking 0.15 seconds.
The Men’s 4x100m team featured heavy hitters like Favour Ashe and James Taiwo but could not find their rhythm in the exchanges. They clocked 38.31 seconds to finish fifth in their heat, missing out on an automatic spot for Beijing.
The Women’s 4x400m selection was a young squad featuring Taiwo Kudoro and Toheebat Jimoh. They fought hard but finished sixth in their heat with a time of 3 minutes 30.71 seconds, which was not enough to advance or qualify during this window.
After all was said and done, Nigeria left Gaborone with three out of six possible relay qualifications for the 2027 World Athletics Championships.
While the men’s teams face a tougher road ahead to qualify via world rankings, the emergence of a new generation of homegrown stars — particularly in the record-breaking Mixed 4x100m — suggests the future of Nigerian sprinting is in very fast hands (rather, legs).
