Team Nigeria wrapped up its campaign at the World Relay Championships in Gaborone, Botswana, with a blend of qualification successes and missed opportunities, as more relay teams booked places at the next World Championships.
Two additional Nigerian teams secured qualification on the final day, joining the 4x100m mixed relay squad that had already clinched a spot earlier in the competition. However, the women’s 4x400m team did not start their race and were marked as DNS.
In the 4x400m mixed relay repechage, the Nigerian quartet of Samson Nathaniel, Taiwo Kudoro, Chidi Okezie, and Patience Okon-George delivered a strong performance, finishing second in Heat Two with a season-best time of 3:12.88. South Africa won the race in 3:12.77, with both teams earning qualification tickets.
Reacting to the performance, team member Thompson-Omokwe said the athletes had silenced critics despite competing without foreign-based runners.
The women’s 4x100m team also bounced back impressively after a baton error on the opening day. The all home-based squad of Rosemary Nwankwo, Jennifer Chukwuka, Maria Thompson-Omokwe, and Miracle Ezechukwu ran a season-best 42.94 seconds to finish second behind France, who edged the race in 42.92 seconds.
Thompson-Omokwe praised the team’s effort and highlighted the potential of locally based athletes when given adequate support.
“I’m super excited with the effort we put in; people were expecting the 10 runners and the USA-based athletes, but we showed that home-based athletes can also put up a good performance if given the opportunity and support.
“We are going to go back home now and correct what we didn’t do, so they should get ready,” said Thompson-Omokwe.
Nigeria’s 4x100m mixed relay team — made up of Favour Ashe, Jennifer Chukwuka Obi, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Thompson-Omokwe — also secured qualification for the inaugural World Ultimate Championships scheduled to take place in Budapest, Hungary, from September 11 to 13, 2026. The team finished sixth in the final, a race dominated by Jamaica, who set a new world record of 39.62 seconds. The Nigerian quartet will also receive a prize of $6,000.
On the men’s side, the 4x100m relay team of Favour Ashe, James Taiwo, Tejiri Godwin, and Chidera Ezeakor finished third in their repechage heat with a time of 38.50 seconds. However, poor baton exchanges hindered their chances of advancing.
Similarly, the men’s 4x400m team narrowly missed out on qualification, placing third in their heat. The quartet of Gafar Badmus, Emmanuel Ojeli, Victor Sampson, and Ezekiel Asuquo clocked 3:01.43, despite a strong anchor leg from Asuquo, while Senegal won the race in 3:01.28.
The women’s 4x400m team, however, could not compete due to an incomplete lineup and were officially listed as Did Not Start.
Meanwhile, the United States men’s 4x100m team, comprising Ronnie Baker, Max Thomas, Lax Lang, and Pjai Austin, clinched the gold medal in their event.