After picking four Olympics tickets in Bahamas, AFN shifts attention to Douala

Nigeria’s 4x100m women’s team qualified for the Paris Olympics at the World Relays in Bahamas…at the weekend.

President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, has described the performance of the country’s relay teams at the 2024 World Athletics Relays in Bahamas as a sign of good things to come at the Paris Olympics.

“I am so glad our athletes got the four tickets in Bahamas,” Okowa told The Guardian shortly after the men’s 4x100m, made up of Udodi Onwuzurike, Ekanem Emmanuel, Alaba Akintola and Karlington Anunagba punched their ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Okowa hinted that he stayed awake all through the night to watch and cheer the athletes to victory.

“I salute the athletes, the coaches, my board members, sports ministry officials and all those who made this victory in the Bahamas possible,” Okowa stated.

After winning two tickets on Day One of the World Athletics Relays in Bahamas, Nigerian athletes completed the job on Sunday night, picking two more tickets in the women and men’s 4x100m Relays. Both teams had missed the tickets on Saturday night.

The victory ensured the men’s team returned to the Olympics after 16 years absence, just as the women will make their ninth straight appearance at the Games.

First to secure a passage to Paris was the women’s 4x100m team, led by Nigeria’s 200m indoor and outdoor record holder, Favour Ofili.

In the absence of World Record holder in the 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, who could not make the trip to the Caribbean Island, Ofili ran an incredible second leg to get Nigeria into a great position with reigning National Sports Festival double sprint champion, Tima Godbless, leading the team home in first position (42.71) ahead of Switzerland who picked the second