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By: Abiodun Adewale.
Nigeria’s 4x100m and 4x400m male quartets will again try to reach the qualifying mark for the relays event of the 2023 World Athletics Championships, which holds from August 19 to 27 in Budapest, Hungary when they compete at the national trials of Benin Republic on Friday (today).
Both relay teams have had two unsuccessful attempts at making the top 16 in the world in order to qualify for their respective events as the July 29 deadline of the World Athletics draws closer.
In the 4x100m relay, Nigeria is currently ranked 18th with a time of 38.56 seconds, which quartet Favour Ashe, Usheoritse Itsekiri, Alaba Akintola and Godson Brume ran at the Yabatech Sports Complex during the final of the recent Lagos Club Athletics Series.
They must produce a faster time in Benin in order to move into a comfortable spot in the top 16. The teams ahead of them include Alabama State, who also ran 38.56 seconds, Thailand with 38.55 seconds, Arizona State with 38.54 seconds and Australia with 38.50 seconds.
Currently placed 27th in the rankings, the 4x400m quartet Dubem Nwachukwu, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Samuel Ogazi and Chidi Okezie must also run faster than their 3:02:64secs to move into the top 16. A reduction by at least one mile second will get them into the 16th position, while a further reduction will take them higher.
Technical Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Samuel Onikeku, during the last meet at Yabatech expressed confidence in the quartets’ abilities.
“Among the five relays for Budapest, we have three already and we want to make it five. We are getting closer and I believe we will be able to meet the qualifying standard in Benin Republic because we are bringing more people into the team.
“What we need is not more than one strike and we will hit the mark and when we do, it will be difficult to displace us,” he said.
During the last meet, quartet Omolara Omotosho, Patience Okon-George, Ella Onojuvwevwo and Imabong Uko ran a season’s best of 32:27:61secs to move up to 14th and punch their ticket to the 2022 World Championships.
