Godbless, Onojuvwevwo, Ajayi, Nathaniel, Ogazi doubtful for World Relays!
While countries like France, Republic of Ireland and Great Britain have announced their teams for next month’s World Relays in Guangzhou, China, Nigeria may be sweating on the availability of most of her USA Collegiate stars for the competition which serves as qualifiers for September’s 20th World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
As many as 14 of the 16 teams that will run in in each of all five relay events (men’s 4x100m and 4x400m, women’s 4x100m and 4x400m and the Mixed 4x400m) will be decided in the Chinese city of Guangzhouou, leaving only two slots left for countries who fail to get the tickets in China to battle for thereafter.
With the Universities in the USA having their NCAA Conferences just a week after the event in Guangzhouou, many of the schools may be unwilling to release their Nigerian student athletes who are on track and field scholarships.
For the women’s 4x100m, the major notable absentee could be Tima Godbless who was a strong part of the team that picked the Paris 2024 Olympics ticket at the World Relays in the Bahamas last year.
The team can still bank of Favour Ofili, the lady the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, foolishly denied the chance to run in the 100m event at the Paris 2024 Olympics as well as Rosemary Chukwuma, Success Umukoro and Tobi Amusan.
It is the men’s 4x400m team that will be worst hit if Baylor University, University of Alabama and Ohio State University fail to release Ezekiel Nathaniel who ran 44.74 indoors this year, Samuel Ogazi who made it to the final of the 400m at the Olympics and Edidiong Okon Udo respectively.
While Nathaniel and Ogazi will likely be competing at the Southeastern, SEC, Conference in Lexington, Kentucky on the weekend of May 15, 16 and 17, Udo will be at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Oregon from May 16-18.
The expected absence of Nathaniel and Ogazi may also have a huge effect on the Nigerian Mixed 4x400m relay team while the Women’s 4x400m relay team is still looking to qualify for the World Relays.
The equally expected absence of Ella Onojuvwevwo who will also likely be at the SEC championships with Louisiana State University may also affect the performance of the Mixed relay team.
For the men’s 4x100m, the Auburn University duo of Kanyinsola Ajayi and Israel Okon who both had incredible indoor outings and Mississippi State University’s Adekalu Fakorede will also likely be in Lexington, Kentucky for the SEC championships.
The leadership of the AFN looks to be busy with next month’s elections into the executive board of the Federation and has been busy plotting the exclusion of perceived opponents, especially from the northern part of Nigeria, with some ludicrous decisions taken at a disputed extraordinary congress in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state last week.
