Nigeria’s women’s 4×400 metres relay team has secured qualification for the 2026 World Relays Championships scheduled to hold in Botswana.

The team emerged as one of the major highlights of the just concluded MTN Champs Athletics Classics in Calabar, Cross River State, sealing a place at the global event.

The Nigerian quartet of Patience Okon-George, Anita Enaruna, Treasure Okereke and Jecinter Lawrence delivered a strong performance on the final day of the competition, clocking 3:31.14.

The result pushed Nigeria up to 21st in the global rankings and displaced Mexico from the qualification slots for the relay championships, which organisers say will be hosted on African soil for the first time.

Team Ethiopia finished second in the race with a time of 3:38.31, while Nigeria’s B team came third in 3:40.50.

However, Nigeria’s men’s 4×400 metres relay team narrowly missed qualification after posting 3:04.59, just under two seconds outside the required mark of 3:03.

Team Nigeria athlete Nathaniel Samson, a 400 metres specialist, said the team remains optimistic despite missing the target.

According to him, the team ran between 3:04 and 3:05 during the race and believes that with more competitions they will be able to improve their time and meet the qualifying mark.

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Samson noted that Nigerian athletes continue to give their best while representing the country but require stronger support, particularly financial backing.

He said athletes invest significant time, energy and sacrifices in training and competitions, stressing that adequate support would help them deliver better results.

The Lagos State athlete, who has competed at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, African Games and the African Championships, added that he is targeting a sub-45 seconds run in the 400 metres this season.

He also praised the MTN Champs initiative, describing it as a grassroots platform capable of discovering and nurturing young talents across the country.

According to him, programmes such as MTN Champs can help Nigeria produce more elite athletes like world record holder Tobi Amusan and other emerging stars.

Meanwhile, Team MTN B won the junior men’s 4×100 metres relay in 43.32 seconds, ahead of Team MTN A which finished in 43.62 seconds, while Golden Edge placed third in 44.58 seconds.

Grace and Gold also dominated the girls’ relay race, winning in 48.89 seconds ahead of Secondary Commercial School, Ibiaku Itam and Government Secondary School, Idang.

In other events, Toheebat Jimoh won the women’s 200 metres in a personal best of 24.51 seconds, while Olaoluwa Obashola claimed the men’s 200 metres title in 21.74 seconds. (The Nation)