As the track and field events of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games began yesterday morning, Nigerians will be looking enthusiastically towards the country’s mixed 4x400m relay team to give yearning compatriots something to cheer in the face of fading hopes in some of the events already concluded.

The mixed quartet will need to surpass the 3:12.87 African record they set in finishing fourth at the World Relays in May in the Bahamas to secure a lane in Saturday’s final.

Today, the Nigerians quartet have been drawn in the second semifinal heat released Wednesday by World Athletics ahead of the event today and will battle for one of the three automatic qualification tickets with Great Britain, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland and the Dominican Republic.

Three of the countries, Italy (3:10.69), Netherlands (3:10.73) and Ireland (3:09.92) have ran faster than Nigeria this year while Great Britain have the strongest squad in the group.

The Britons have at their disposal the fastest man in the 400m this year, Matthew Hudson-Smith who is one of just two athletes to have gone under 44 seconds this year (43.74) as well as two other men, Charles Dobson (44.23) and Samuel Reardon (44.70) they can call on and who have both broken 45 seconds this year.

On the women’s side, they have two athletes, Amber Anning (49.51) and Laviai Nielsen (49.87) who have broken 50 seconds this year and ‘Nigerian’, Victoria Ohuruogu (50.76) who is also available.

The Irish, complete with their ‘Nigerian’ star, Rhasidat Adeleke, edged Nigeria to the bronze medal in the Bahamas to set a new 3:11.53 national record. Since then, Adeleke has set a new 49.20 lifetime best and may just be the difference in Paris.

The Dutch are another team that will rely heavily on 400m hurdles runner, Femke Bol who ensured they came second behind the USA at the World Relays in May.

The Dominican Republic will hope Marileidy Paulino, the reigning world champion who led them to the Mixed 4x400m relay gold in 2022 at the World Athletics Championships, can get them across the finish line into the final while the Italians who have run faster than Nigeria this year will hope Luca Sito, who has done a 44.75 this year and ‘Nigerian’, Ayomide Folorunsho, the 400m hurdles runner who they can call upon can see them too.

Before the relays, high jumper, Temitope Adeshina, will take to the field of Stade de France at 10.15 am this morning to kickstart her campaign for a medal.

Adeshina, 25, is making her debut at the Games and will be seeking to not only become the first Nigerian woman to qualify for the final of the event after three futile attempts by Doreen Amata in 2008, 2012 and 2016 but also the first climb to the podium.

To do that, Adeshina will have to equal the 1.97m lifetime best and Nigeria record she set at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA in June or be among the top 12 finishers if enough athletes do not make the qualification standard set by World Athletics for the event.

The Nigerian has cleared 1.95m and above three times this season and hope she can do it again to qualify for Sunday’s final.

Adeshina will be followed by the trio of Discus throwers, Ashley Anumba, Chioma Onyekere and Pamela Obiageri Amaechi who are all making history with their debut at the Games.

The first Nigerian who competed in the event at the Games, Chinwe Okoro did not get through the qualifying stage and a similar fate has been predicted for the trio.

Reigning African Athletics Championships champion, Anumba and African Games queen, Amaechi must throw well beyond their personal best to secure tickets to the final of the event when it starts on Friday evening.

Anumba holds a lifetime best of 61.98m and has done a 61.00m this year while Amaechi set a new lifetime best of 63.17m this year but they must now up their game and throw at least 64.00m to be sure of qualification or be among the top 12 from the two qualifying groups.

The third Nigerian in the event, African record holder at 64.96m, Chioma Onyekwere only needs to throw 96m lower than her lifetime best to secure her passage but the 30-year-old has only thrown 61.35m personal season’s best this year and has not hit the 62m mark since she set the African record in April last year.

No Nigerian woman has made the final of this event and the trio of Anumba, Amaechi and Onyekwere will be looking to make history again like the duo of Amaechi Onyekwere did at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom in 2022 with Onyekwere climbing the podium as Nigeria’s first ever woman to be crowned as Commonwealth Games champion in the event.

The odds are however heavily stacked against the trio who must take their game to a new level.

It will not be an all-women’s affair on the opening day of competition for Nigerian athletes as Shot Putter, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi is also billed to compete.

Three-time African champion should, however, have no problem qualifying for his second straight Olympic final when the event holds Friday evening.

The 31-year-old is making his second appearance at the Games and will be confident of throwing well above the 21.35m qualification mark set by World Athletics for the 12 men that will proceed to Saturday’s final.

The Nigerian made that cut three years ago but finished last in the final classification and will be looking to be among the first eight or achieve the unimaginable: make the podium.

Enekwechi has been in great form this season and set a new 21.99m Nigerian record and lifetime best in May but knows he needs to throw well above 22.00m to be able to stand a chance of making history in Paris.

A 22m throw will mean Enekwechi will become the first Nigerian to hit that mark which will be a great achievement on its own.

TODAY’S FIXTURES

ATHLETICS

Women’s High Jump- 9:15 am

Temilope Adeshina

Women’s Discus-5:55 pm

Ashley Anumba

4 x 400 Relay Mixed- 6:10 pm

Men’s Shot Put- 7: 10 pm

Chukwuebuka Enekwechi

Women’s Discus – 7:20 pm

Chioma Onyekwere

Obiageri Amaechi

SOURCE: THISDAY

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