IAAF World Championships: Mixed fortunes for Nigeria as 4x100m team crashes out

It was mixed fortunes for Team Nigeria’s relay teams on Saturday at the ongoing IAAF World Championships as the quartet for the 4x100m Women’s event crashed out in the heats while the 4x400m qualified for Sunday’s final in a highly commendable manner.

In the 4x100m, Blessing Okagbare, was conspicuously missing again as she was yet to recover from the hamstring injury that denied her participation in the 200m.

The situation saw the quartet of Gloria Asumnu, Stephanie Kalu, Deborah Oluwaseun and Cecilia Francis getting the nod to run in the Heat 1.

The quartet, however, failed to strike the right rhythm and they ended up finishing last in the Heat that was confidently won by the Jamaicans.

Away from the pain of the 4x100m, the country’s 4x400m women quartet gave Nigerian something to cheer about as they ran a season best time of 3:23:27secs to qualify for Sunday’s final.

Their winning time was the second fastest time in the two semi-finals.

America had the fastest qualifying time of 3:23:05, followed by Team Nigeria.

Others qualifiers are Britain, Ukraine, France, Canada, Russia and Jamaica.

The 4x400m quartet was made up of Regina George, Funke Oladoye, Tosin Adeloye and Patience Okon.

The four athletes have promised to go extra mile to make sure they make it to the
podium as the curtains draws on the World Championships on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba, has praised the discipline and commitment of the quartet.

Mr. Ogba said Nigerians and the federation are behind them and wish them success in the final.