Nigeria is, however, still in the hunt for the women’s 4×100 relay race despite the teams’ near-fatal barton exchange in the last leg of the race
By Mosope Okeowo
The three-day athletic trials in Benin City, the Edo State capital for Nigerian Athletes wishing to compete at the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games ended on Sunday, June 26.
However, despite shattered records at the event, the highlight was the failure of Nigeria’s 4x100m men’s team to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States, after returning poor time at the trials.
The team had ran 38.34secs on the opening day of the championships to put themselves in the reckoning for participation but clocked 38.84secs on the final day of the competition.
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With the time, the team dropped from 16th to 17th position and loses their position to the Liberian team, whose time took them to the 16th and final position for the World Championships.
Again, the country’s chances of qualifying for the men’s 4x100m relay at the Commonwealth Games scheduled to hold next month in Birmingham, United Kingdom also hangs in the balance, since they failed to crack the minimum 37.50 secs expected to give them an automatic ticket.
A similar faith almost befell the women’s team after a poor exchange of baton in the last leg between Tobi Amusan and Rosemary Chukwuma, a feat which almost cost them a place at the championship too.
They, however, recovered after putting in an inspiring final leg to beat teams from Ghana and the Benin Republic to remain in the hunt for qualification for the event.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, who was on the ground on the final day of the trials, hailed the performance of the Nigerian athletes and promised that government will support them, as they prepare for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
