By Uzor Odigbo
Nigeria’s Athletics team will now be hoping to get, at least, a medal in the relay events which start Friday following sprint hurdler Tobi Amusan’s inability to make the podium in the 100m hurdles on Thursday evening.
Prior to the Championships, hopes of Team Nigeria making it to the podium were pinned on the shoulders of long jumper, Ese Brume and Amusan but wishes refused to be horses like it did last year in Oregon, USA.
Brume won a silver medal in the long jump event while Amusan scorched to a 12.12 world record before storming home first in the final to win a historic gold medal.
In Budapest, Brume came fourth in the final while Amusan was sixth in the 100m hurdles final.
However, like it happened in 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden and 1997 in Athens, Greece where the men’s 4x400m relay team and the 4x100m relay team respectively ensured Nigeria returned home with a medal, officials will now be hoping for a repeat.
The semifinals of the men and women’s 4x100m relay will hold on Friday.
The men’s team will be running in the second semifinal and will battle 2020 Olympic champion, Italy, Great Britain, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, Poland and Brazil for the three automatic tickets on offer for the final.
The women’s team will also run in the second semifinal and will battle for the three automatic tickets with reigning World champion, USA, host country,
Hungary, fellow African nations, Cote d’Ivoire, Italy and Poland.
While the men’s team will be aiming to win Nigeria’s second medal in the history of the championships, the women’s team will be looking to make history as the first to win a relay medal, 4x100m or 4x400m