The Digest:
Team Nigeria secured two additional qualification tickets for the World Athletics Championships on the final day of the World Relay Championships in Gaborone, Botswana. The women's 4x100m team finished second in Heat Two with a time of 42.94 seconds, while the 4x400m mixed relay team ran a season best of 3:12.88 seconds to finish second in their repechage heat. Both teams will join the 4x100m mixed relay team that qualified on the opening day. Maria Thompson-Omokwe said they proved doubters wrong by qualifying without foreign-based athletes, using only home-based runners.
Key Points:
- Nigeria will have at least three relay teams at the 2027 World Championships in Beijing.
- Home-based athletes proved they can compete without foreign-based stars.
- The women's 4x100m team recovered from a baton mishap on day one to qualify.
- The 4x400m men's team narrowly missed out despite a strong anchor leg.
- Team USA won gold in the men's 4x100m final.
Watch how the home-based athletes prepare for Beijing and whether Nigeria secures more tickets at future qualification events.
Sources: Channels Television, Vanguard
