Nigeria celebrates as men’s 4x100m relay team makes it to Oregon

(FILES) In this file photograph taken on July 30, 2021 (R/L): Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (C/7 ) Britain’s Asha Philip (R/5) and Belarus’ Krystsina Tsimanouskaya (L/9), compete in the women’s 100m heats during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. – The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on June 28, 2022, that Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has had her anti-doping suspension raised from 10 to 11 years because of a new element in her case, which also deprives the Nigerian women’s 4x100m relay team a chance to compete in the World Championships in Eugene (July 15-24). (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)

Twenty-four hours after Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay team was disqualified from Oregon 2022 World Athletics Championships due to Blessing Okagbare’s additional one-year drug ban, officials of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) were in joyous mood following confirmation that the country has officially qualified for two relay events, including the men’s 4x100m.

World Athletics officially confirmed Nigeria’s qualification for two, out of the five relay events for Oregon 2022, which holds from July 15 to 25 in the United States.

Apart from the Men’s 4x100m relay squad, Nigerian athletes will also compete in the 4x400m Mixed Relay event.

For the 4x100m event, Nigeria, against all odds, secured qualification from the just concluded National Trials in Benin-City, Edo State, where the quartet of Favour Ashe, Godson Brume, Alaba Akintola, and reigning World U-20 champion, Udodi Onwuzurike, stormed to a Season’s Best Time of 38.35 seconds on an opening day.

The winning time saw Nigeria leapfrog South Africa into the 16th position, which is the last qualifying spot for the World Championships.

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