Nigeria grabs two Olympics tickets at 2024 World Athletics Relays in Bahamas

As predicted by a board member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Victor Okorie, Team Nigeria grabbed two tickets on day one of the World Relays Saturday evening in the Bahamas.

Okorie, who is with the athletes in the Caribbean Island, had told The Guardian in a telephone conversation before heading to the stadium that the nation’s flag beares would do well despite the absence of some key athletes due to injury or failure to get visa.

True to his words, Team Nigeria gave a good account of themselves, picking two tickets in the mixed relay and men’s 4x400m event.

Reigning African Games 400m champion, Chidi Okezie, was the hero for Team Nigeria after inspiring the 4x400m mixed and men’s 4x400m relay teams to book their tickets to this Olympic Games in Paris, France at the 2024 World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas.

Okezie ran incredible 44.78 split leg (third) to ensure the team grabbed the second automatic ticket behind USA.

The quartet of Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo, who also ran a 50.45 split leg (second), Okezie and Elo Joseph ran 3:13.79 to come second behind the USA who ran a new 3:11.52 Championships record to win the heat.

Barely two hours later, Okezie returned once again to ensure a second Paris Olympics ticket was in the bag on the first day of competition.

The USA-based, 30-year-old ran an incredible 44.46 split leg to anchor the team to Paris.

The quartet of Dubem Nwachukwu, Dubem Amene who also ran a 44.82 split leg (second), Sikiru Adeyemi and Okezie ran 3:01.70 personal season’s best to come second behind Belgium in the heat.

While the mixed relay team will be making an immediate return to the Olympics after appearaing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the men’s 4x400m team will be competing for the