It’s Now or Never! – Nigeria takes final shot at relay redemption today in Lagos
It’s now or never for Nigeria’s relay teams as the final day of the Nigeria Track and Field Championships at Yaba College of Technology Sports Ground becomes a last-ditch battleground for Tokyo 2025 qualification.
With the clock ticking and global rankings tightening, the nation’s hopes rest on two men’s relay squads—while the women’s teams have been quietly dropped from contention.
The men’s 4x100m team, expected to feature Kanyinsola Ajayi (9.92s), Isaac Okon, Alaba Akintola, and Adekalu Fakorede, must deliver a miracle.
To qualify, they must shatter the national record and run faster than 37.87s, the time currently holding the 16th and final qualifying spot by the Netherlands.
Worse still, Jamaica recently clocked 37.80s at the London Diamond League, pushing Nigeria’s previous 38.20s mark from Paris 2024 out of the automatic zone.
The men’s 4x400m team, led by NCAA champions Samuel Ogazi and Ezekiel Nathaniel, alongside Chidi Okezie and possibly Gafaru Badmus, must break the mythical 3-minute barrier—a feat Nigeria hasn’t achieved in over two decades.
To qualify, they must beat Zambia’s 2:59.16, which currently holds the last ticket to Tokyo.
Meanwhile, the women’s relay teams have been quietly erased from the programme. With Tima Godbless, Favour Ofili, and Rosemary Chukwuma absent from the trials, the AFN has opted not to field a women’s 4x100m team.
The same fate befell the women’s 4x400m, as Ella Onojuvwevwo, Nigeria’s only qualified athlete in the individual 400m, was conspicuously missing.
This dramatic collapse follows Nigeria’s earlier failure to attend the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou due to visa issues—a missed opportunity that has now snowballed into a qualification crisis.
With the qualification window closing on August 24, Nigeria’s relay hopes now hinge on a single afternoon in Lagos. Anything short of record-breaking performances will leave the nation watching Tokyo from the sidelines.
