Nigeria hopes of securing automatic qualification for the relay events at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo suffered a setback on Sunday, as both the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m teams failed to meet the required standards during the National Trials at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.
In the men’s 4x400m, Team A comprising Samuel Ogazi, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Gafar Badmus, and Chidi Okezie — won by over 30 meters but clocked 3:03.68, falling short of the 2:59.12 qualifying mark currently held by Zambia.
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Their split times were Ogazi (46.30s), Nathaniel (45.77s), Badmus (45.02s), and Okezie (46.25s), but the collective effort did not move Nigeria into the top 16 ranked teams globally.
The men’s 4x100m Team A finished in 40.05s, well outside the 37.87s needed to displace the Netherlands from the final qualifying spot. Nigeria entered the trials ranked 17th after recent improvements by Jamaica and the Netherlands.
Ghana, who participated in the trials, placed third in the men’s 4x400m, while Nigeria’s Team B, composed of U-20 athletes, secured second place.
The results mean none of Nigeria’s relay teams — men’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m, women’s 4x100m, women’s 4x400m, and mixed 4x400m currently hold automatic qualifying positions for the World Championships.
Nigeria ranks 17th in both the men’s and women’s 4x100m events. The women’s 4x100m team, with a 42.70s time from the Paris 2024 Olympics, trails Australia (42.48s) and Ivory Coast (42.63s).
The men’s 4x400m team is 22nd, while the women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m teams are 19th and 17th, respectively.
Most of Nigeria’s top female sprinters were unavailable for the trials, hampering efforts in the women’s and mixed relays.
Additionally, the absence of foreign competition in the women’s races prevented the trials from meeting World Athletics’ requirement for international participation in qualifying events.
Nigeria’s failure to attend the World Relays in China earlier this year left the country in a race against time.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria had hoped the National Trials would help regain lost ground after the men’s 4x100m team dropped out of qualification due to improvements by Jamaica and the Netherlands last month.
Despite the setback, Nigeria still has three remaining opportunities to qualify before the August 24 deadline.
The teams are scheduled to compete at the Togo Championships on August 9, the CAA Region II Championships in Ghana from August 15–16, and the Ghanaian Championships from August 21–22.
