Team Nigeria’s 4x100m mixed relay team secured their spot for the Beijing 2027 World Championships during the weekend in Gaborone, Botswana. The team’s qualification marks a significant achievement after missing out on relay events at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, last year.
Three Relay Teams Qualify
Nigeria will present at least three relay teams at the 21st edition of the World Athletics flagship event in Beijing in 2027. The mixed 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams, along with the women’s 4x100m team, all secured their qualifications. Additionally, the mixed 4x100m team earned an automatic ticket for the World Ultimate Championships in Budapest later this year, finishing sixth with a time of 42.03 seconds.
The quartet of Favour Ashe, Jennifer Chukwuka-Obi, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Thompson clocked 42.03s, making Nigeria the only African team with an automatic ticket for both the 2027 World Championships and the Ultimate Championships in Hungary.
Mixed 4x400m and Women’s 4x100m Success
The mixed 4x400m relay team, led by reigning African Games 400m champion Chidi Okezie, alongside Nathaniel Ezekiel, Taiwo Mary Kudoro, and Patience Okon George, ran a season’s best of 3:12.88 to qualify. The women’s 4x100m team, anchored by teenage sensation Miracle Ezechukwu, redeemed themselves after a baton exchange error on day one, running an impressive 42.94 seconds—their fastest time since the Paris 2024 Olympics (42.70).
Opportunities for More Qualifications
The men’s and women’s 4x400m teams, as well as the men’s 4x100m team, still have chances to qualify when the qualification window for Beijing 2027 officially opens later this year. Despite the women’s 4x100m team dropping the baton on Saturday, they can still fill one of the remaining four slots in each relay event.
With many top Nigerian stars absent in Gaborone, proper coordination by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) in upcoming events could secure additional tickets. Stakeholders anticipate strong performances from potential lineups, including a men’s 4x100m team of Ashe, Kanyinsola Ajayi, Israel Okon, and Ushoritse Itshekiri or Udodi Onwuzurike; a women’s 4x400m team of Ella Onojuvwevwo, Chioma Nwachukwu, Esther Joseph, and Patience Okon George; and a men’s 4x400m quartet of Samuel Ogazi (who broke Innocent Egbunike’s 1987 Nigerian record with 44.02), Nathaniel Ezekiel, Edidiong Udo, and Chidi Okezie.
Ultimate Championship Debut
The mixed 4x100m team advanced to the Ultimate Championship, making its debut in Budapest, Hungary, this September. They secured the final qualifying position (sixth) after Great Britain and the Netherlands failed to finish due to baton exchange problems. Yesterday’s finals determined prize money and preferential lane seeding for the World Championships.
The mixed relay events in Gaborone also serve as the main qualification route for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26. The top six teams in each mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m final automatically qualified for Budapest.
