Nigeria missed out on qualification for the final of the mixed 4×400 metres after finishing third in their heat at the 2026 World Athletics Relays on Saturday, PUNCH Online reports.
- +World Relays: Jamaica, Poland edge Nigeria in mixed 4x400m
Competing in the second event of the championships at the Botswana National Stadium, the Nigerian quartet of Samson Nathaniel, Taiwo Kudoro, Chidi Okezie and Patience Okon-George clocked a season’s best of 3:13.12 to place third in Heat 2.
Competing in the second event of the championships at the Botswana National Stadium, the Nigerian quartet of Samson Nathaniel, Taiwo Kudoro, Chidi Okezie and Patience Okon-George clocked a season’s best of 3:13.12 to place third in Heat 2.
Jamaica won the race in 3:11.68, while Poland secured the second automatic qualifying spot with 3:13.00, leaving Nigeria just outside the top two positions required for direct progression.
Only the first two teams in each heat, along with the next two fastest times overall, advanced to the final and secured early qualification for the World Championships, with Nigeria’s effort falling narrowly short of those criteria.
In a tightly contested race, Nigeria remained in contention heading into the final leg, where Okon-George produced a determined anchor run, battling Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka down the home straight before settling for third place.
Japan followed in fourth with 3:13.61, while Canada finished fifth in 3:14.93, underscoring the competitiveness of the event.
The result means Nigeria will return to the track for the repechage round on Sunday, where they will have another opportunity to secure qualification for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing.
Across all heats, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States, Kenya and Spain posted the fastest times to qualify, alongside Australia and Italy, with Jamaica and Poland completing the list of finalists.
Kenya emerged as the only African nation to reach the final of the event, setting a new continental record of 3:09.87 in the process.
With the top six teams in Gaborone also earning places at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest later this year, Nigeria’s failure to reach the final ended their hopes of securing a berth for that competition.
Attention will now shift to the repechage, where the Nigerian team must deliver a stronger performance to keep their Beijing 2027 World Championships ambitions alive.
