Nigeria's Joy Chinenye Udo-Gabriel (C) celebrates with teammate Rosemary Chukwuma (R) after they came in third in a heat of the women's 4x100m relay heats during the World Athletics Championships. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)
Team Nigeria triumphed in the mixed 4x400m relay final at the African Games on Tuesday.
Anchored by Omolara Ogunmakinju, the Nigerian team secured the coveted gold medal with a remarkable time of 3:13.26.
Ogunmakinju’s electrifying performance during the final leg of the race saw her close a 15-meter gap, surging past the Botswana anchor with a mere 30 meters to spare.
Botswana, while putting up a commendable effort, settled for the silver medal, achieving a National Record time of 3:13.99.
In another thrilling event, the Nigerian quartet comprising Israel Sunday Okon, Consider Ekanem, Alaba Akintola, and Fakorede Adekalu delivered an outstanding performance in the men’s 4x100m heat.
Their impressive Season’s Best time of 38.70s not only secured them automatic qualification into the final but also set the stage for an anticipated rematch against Ghana, who clinched victory in Heat 3 with an SB of 38.67s.
Adding to Nigeria’s success, Dubem Nwachukwu advanced to the final of the men’s 400m event, marking his debut in an international final representing Nigeria.
Nwachukwu’s stellar performance saw him finish second in his heat with a Season’s Best time of 45.89s, ensuring Nigeria’s strong presence in the upcoming finals.