Team Nigeria Secure Additional Relay Spots For 2027 World Championships

Team Nigeria produced an impressive display at the 2026 World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, as a youthful, largely home-based squad secured additional qualification tickets for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

Competing at the packed National Stadium Gaborone, the Nigerian contingent rose above expectations, sealing qualification in the women’s 4x100m and mixed 4x400m relays on the final day of competition. These successes added to an earlier historic qualification in the mixed 4x100m event, bringing Nigeria’s total to three relay slots for the global showpiece.

The tone for Nigeria’s campaign had been set on the opening day when the mixed 4x100m quartet of Favour Ashe, Obi Jennifer Chukwuka, Chidera Ezeakor and Maria Thompson Omokwe stormed to victory in a record-breaking 40.24 seconds. The performance not only secured qualification but also established a new African record, marking Nigeria’s first-ever ticket in the event ahead of its debut at the World Championships.

Momentum carried into the final day, where the mixed 4x400m team—anchored by Chidi Okezie alongside Nathaniel Ezekiel, Taiwo Mary Kudoro and Patience Okon George—delivered a composed run. Their season’s best time of 3:12.88 proved sufficient to clinch qualification, underlining the squad’s cohesion despite limited preparation.

The women’s 4x100m team also demonstrated resilience, bouncing back from a baton error on the opening day to clock 42.94 seconds—Nigeria’s fastest time since the Paris 2024 Olympics. Teenage anchor Miracle Ezechukwu emerged as one of the standout performers, signalling a bright future for the country’s sprint programme.

Chairman of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s media committee, Maxwell Kumoye, praised the athletes’ performances, noting that the reliance on home-based talent had paid dividends.

“With many established stars absent, these athletes stepped up and delivered beyond expectations,” he said, adding that the results have reignited discussions on grassroots development and structured domestic competitions.

Attention now turns to remaining qualification opportunities later in the year, with Nigeria’s men’s and women’s 4x400m teams, as well as the men’s 4x100m squad, still in contention. The prospect of blending emerging home-based talent with established international stars offers an encouraging outlook for Nigeria ahead of Beijing 2027.

The mixed 4x100m team has also earned qualification for the upcoming World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, where they will face elite global competition once again.