‘Lightning’ Iheme and Ajayi Lead Great Britain to World U20 Mixed Relay Final

Nigeria-born sprint sensation Divine Ebubechukwu Iheme played a key role in Great Britain’s qualification for the final of the mixed 4x100m relay at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon after running the opening leg in Thursday’s heats.

Iheme, nicknamed ‘Lightning,’ gave the British quartet a flying start before handing over to Savannah McKenzie Morgan as Great Britain stormed to victory in Heat Two in a world U20 record of 41.60 seconds.

The British team, comprising Iheme, Morgan, another athlete of Nigerian descent, 19-year-old Mathew Ajayi, and Sophie Thomas, comfortably secured automatic qualification ahead of France (42.16) and Poland (42.18), with both nations also advancing to the final.

Iheme clocked 11.07 seconds on the opening leg before Morgan maintained Britain’s advantage. Ajayi then produced a superb third leg, covering his section in 9.62 seconds to preserve the lead before Thomas brought the baton home to seal the fastest time ever recorded in the event at World U20 level.

The qualification race highlighted the growing influence of athletes of Nigerian heritage in British sprinting, with both Iheme and Ajayi making decisive contributions to the record-breaking performance.

Iheme’s achievement continues a remarkable season for the 16-year-old.

Earlier this year, he established the European Under-18 best over 60m before claiming the 100m title at the 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships.

He first captured global attention in 2024 when he ran a world Under-14 best of 10.30 seconds for the 100m after setting a UK Under-14 record of 10.56 seconds.

Sprinting runs in Iheme’s family. His parents, Innocent Iheme and Nkiruka Anu, both represented Nigeria at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, while his mother now coaches him after founding the Power, Will and Drive (PWD) Athletic Academy in Oxfordshire following a nine-year career in the British military.