Sports
Nigeria’s Relay Team Clinches Gold At U-20 Athletics Championship
Nigeria had a great first day to remember at the World Athletics U-20 Championships yesterday, as the 4 x 400m mixed relay team won the gold medal.
Johnson Nnamani, Imaobong Nse Uko, Opeyemi Oke and Bamidele Ajayi broke the championships record on the way to winning gold in a time of 3:19.70 after also breaking the championships record in their heats victory in a time of 3:21.66 earlier in the day.
Nigeria thus won its first World U-20 gold since 2008 when Folashade Abugan won the women’s 400m title in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Uko ran a blistering second leg, powering to the first position after collecting the baton from third-place Nnamani, before handing over to Oke, who ran the third leg.
Ajayi, who ran the anchor, also overcame a late resistance from Poland’s Patryk Grzegorzewicz on the home straight, to win the gold medal for Nigeria.
In other races, Team Nigeria captain Godson Oghenebrume ran the second fastest time of 10.22secs in the men’s 100m semi-final to qualify for yesterday’s final, while Praise Ofoku also qualified for the women’s 100m final in 11.57secs.
Tima Godbless was however not as lucky as she could only place fifth in her semi-final to miss out on a final slot. Her time was the fastest non-qualifier.
Earlier in the day, Uko ran the fastest time of the three heats – 52.33secs – to qualify for the final of the women’s 400m last Saturday.
Chinecherem Nnamdi threw a national U20 record to top the standings in the men’s javelin throw qualification, with the javelin landing at a mark of 78.02m in Group A.
Nigeria win 4x400m mixed relay gold at World Athletics U-20 Championships
Meanwhile, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has hailed the 4x400m mixed relay team for their gold-winning feat.
Dare said the win should serve as a new start for the Tonobok Okowa-led board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.
“I want to specially congratulate our U-20 team for making history in Nairobi. This gold is for all Nigerians and this should serve as the perfect start the new board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria needs to correct the ills of the immediate past and return Nigeria among the major athletics nations in the world,” Dare said.
“I remember how dominant we were in the early years of the championships, when we dominated the sprints and quarter mile events. I still vividly recall how Tina Iheagwam, Falilat Ogunkoya and Mary Onyali dominated the 100m and 200m events at the inaugural edition of the championships in Athens, Greece in 1986. I also remember we won the women’s 400m in successive editions. Who will forget how Francis Obikwelu became the second sprinter to win the 100m and 200m in 1996 in Sydney, Australia?
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.