AFN Blames Weather For Failed Relay Qualification

Nigeria’s hope of securing 4x400m relay tickets early for the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, could not materialise in the United States, last weekend.
Nigeria paraded both male and female squad to the event held at the Louisiana State University, with the hope of picking relay qualification ticket to Budapest, but things did not work out.
While the female team, made up of Patience Okon-George, Knowledge Omovoh, Jessica Ozoude, Imaobong Nse Uko and Brittany Ogunmokun could not run at the event due to what an AFN official termed as ‘terrible weather condition,’ the male team, comprising of Samson Nathaniel, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Sikiru Adeyemi and Chidi Okozie insisted on trying their best, but ended up finishing outside the qualification zone.
The Nigerians, who ran with Team Canada and some top universities at the event, finished in 3.05.417seconds, far from the qualification time of 3.02.00secs expected from them.
AFN Secretary General, Rita Mosindi, led the team to the United States.
With the unsuccessful attempt in Louisiana, the Performance Director of the AFN, U.S.-based AFN board member, Victor Okorie, says Nigeria’s quest to secure relay tickets to Budapest 2023 should be pursued in a different way.
“I want Team Nigeria to take a different approach as far as the battle to secure relay tickets to the World Championship in Budapest is concerned,” he told Tidesports source.