Nigeria’s baton exchange must be perfect at Warri Grand Prix, says Godson Brume

Godson Brume

• Men’s 4x100m squad in last chase for Budapest ticket today

United States-based sprinter, Godson Brume, has said that there would be no margin for error today, as Nigeria’s 4x100m men’s relay team push for qualification for Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championship.

Nigeria, The Gambia and Benin Republic are at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, competing in the Warri Grand Prix, which is being used by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Delta State government to honour former Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, Dr. AwotureEleyae, who died last Thursday in Benin City.

Speaking with The Guardian, yesterday, Brume, who was part of Nigerian men’s 4x100m relay team at the DejiTinubu/Lagos Series, as well as the event in Cotonou, Benin Republic, said that their baton exchange must be perfect today in Asaba.

“I know that the AFN has tried so much by ensuring we participate in another relay event after what happened in Cotonou last week. I ought to have traveled back to my base in the United States, but I have to be with the team and ensure we pick the tick. I believe in the ability of my colleagues, and I am optimistic we will get the job done this time,” Brume stated.

Team Nigeria has secured three out of the five relay qualification tickets, the women’s 4x100m, 4x400m and the mixed relay. The men’s 4x100m had missed the chance of grabbing the ticket in three previous attempts, in Lome, Togo, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, and last week in Cotonou, where they had a mix up in their baton exchange. The men’s 4x400m relay team may have crashed out of the race to Budapest.

Meanwhile, two-time former AFN President, Chief Solomon Ogba, has charged the team to make use of today’s