Nse Uko powers Nigeria’s women relay squad to Budapest

The Nigeria Women 4x400m quartet…yesterday

• Men’s 4x100m Team Still On 17th Spot • Nigeria Stripped Of Commonwealth Games Gold Medal For Doping

Amidst anxiety, Team Nigeria women’s 4x400m relay squad, yesterday, secured their ticket to the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships at the Deji Tinubu/Lagos Series, which ended at Yaba Technical College.

Nigeria and two West African countries, Ghana and Benin Republic, battled for the relay qualification marks in Lagos, yesterday.

Last week in Lome, Togo, Team Nigeria’s men and women’s 4x400m relay teams moved a step closer to qualifying for the World Championships after impressive displays at the CAA Region II Senior Athletics Championships.

But yesterday, at Yaba College, Nigerian women 4x400m quartet romped into the top 16 qualification zone, and are hopeful of holding their 15th position till the July 30 deadline. The team finished in 3.27.61 seconds to displace Dominican Republic from the 15th spot.

Comeback queen, Omolara Omotosho, started the race on a good note and Patience Okon- George, dug deeper knowing the team was competing against time, and not the field featuring Ghana and Benin Republic. Ella Onojuvwewo kicked in before Imeobong Nse Uko, egged on by a cheering crowd, sped like a newly retooled engine to breast the tape for the heartwarming performance.

But it was not a sweet ending for the men’s 4x400m team despite a good start by Dubem Nwachukwu and reinforced by Ezekiel Nathaniel, Samuel Ogazi and Chidi Okezie couldn’t push hard enough to get the run they needed to qualify. They managed a 3.02.64 seconds finish, which leaves them in the 19th position.

The atmosphere at the Yaba Technical College was supercharged awaiting the men’s 4x100m final race.

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