Teen Duo Ezechukwu, Lawrence Bow Out in World U20 400m Semi-finals
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the women’s 400M final at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon came to an end on Thursday as teenage duo Faith Ezechukwu and Jecinta Lawrence were eliminated in the semi-finals.
Sixteen-year-old Faith Ezechukwu finished eighth in the opening semi-final, clocking 54.68 seconds, while 15-year-old Jecinta Lawrence placed seventh in the third semi-final with a time of 54.86 seconds.
Only the first three athletes in each race progressed to the final, leaving both promising Nigerians out of contention despite spirited performances against a strong international field.
American Ataja Stephane-Vazquez set the fastest qualifying time of 51.76 seconds, ahead of Poland’s Anastazja Kuś (52.43) and Guyana’s Tianna Springer (52.48), who also won their respective heats.
Other finalists include Clara Adams of the United States, Lenka Gymerská of Slovakia, Maša Medjimurec of Slovenia, Kadia Rock of Barbados, Alice Hill of Australia and Casey Musgrave of Great Britain.
