Nigeria’s hope of featuring a single relay team in the fast-approaching 20th World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, this September, suffered another major blow on Monday evening in Accra, Ghana. After the AFN failed woefully at its National Trials held at Yaba Tech in Lagos two weeks ago, the board shifted attention to Accra, assuring Nigerians of a better outing.

Though Team Nigeria delivered a commanding performance at the ongoing CAA Region II Senior Athletics Championships in Accra, securing double gold in the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays, the performance may have fallen short of meeting the qualification standard required to pick the ticket to Tokyo. It could be Nigeria’s first absence from the relay stage since the inception of the championships in Helsinki, Finland, in 1983.

In the men’s 4x100m final, Nigeria’s quartet stormed to victory with a time of 39.74 seconds, narrowly edging out host nation Ghana, which clocked 39.75 seconds. Burkina Faso followed with 40.95 seconds to claim bronze. While the win was emphatic, the time fell short of the 37.94 national record and did not surpass the 37.87 mark posted by the Netherlands, which currently holds the final qualifying spot for Tokyo. Newspaper subscription bundles

The women’s team mirrored the men’s success, blazing to gold in 44.92 seconds ahead of Burkina Faso (46.56s) and Ghana (bronze). According to Sportsnow.com.ng, the performance was not enough to displace Cote d’Ivoire’s 42.63, which stands as the benchmark for the last available qualification slot.

With the August 24 deadline looming, Nigeria’s hopes of fielding relay teams in Tokyo hang by a thread. This potential omission would mark a historic first for Nigeria, a nation that has consistently featured in relay events at every World Athletics Championships since the competition’s inception over four decades ago.

Despite the relay setback, individual athletes shone brightly in Accra. Reigning national champion Chioma Nweke claimed gold in the women’s 100m final with a time of 11.62 seconds (-0.5), followed closely by fellow Nigerian Olayinka Olajide (11.72s), while Gambia’s Sey Isatou took bronze in 12.00 seconds.

In the field events, 15-year-old Omosivwe Treasure continued her meteoric rise by winning the women’s high jump with a leap of 1.75m, equalling her personal best and securing gold.

On the men’s side, Olaolu Olatunde powered to victory in the 100m final, clocking 10.60 seconds (-2.1) to take gold ahead of Ghana’s Kevin Painstsil Arthur (10.63s) and Ivory Coast’s Kone Abdulrasak (10.71s). Nigeria’s James Emmanuel finished fourth after a slow start.

In the 400m, reigning national champion Gafari Badmus delivered a career-best performance, storming to gold in 45.53 seconds. Ezekiel Asuquo completed a Nigerian 1-2 finish with silver in 46.38 seconds, while Ghana’s Mordecai Acheampong took bronze in 46.63 seconds.

While the championships in Accra highlighted Nigeria’s depth of talent and competitive spirit, the looming absence from the relay events in Tokyo casts a shadow over the celebrations. (The Guardian)