Team Nigeria have on Wednesday, August 18 made history as 4x400m mixed relay team won gold medal in a new championship record time of 3:19.70.
Nigeria’s quartet of Chidera Johnson Nnamani, Deborah Oke, Imaobong Nse-Uko, and Bamdiele Ajayi won the country’s first gold medal at the ongoing World U-20 Athletics Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.
The quarter set a Championship Record of 3:19.70 to win the Gold in the Mixed 4x400m relay.
Poland finished with a time of 3:19.80 while India settled for bronze after returning a time of 3:20.60.
The first champions of #WorldAthleticsU20 are crowned! 👑
After setting a championship record in the heats this morning, Nigeria’s Mixed 4x400m Relay smashes it again and takes the title in 3:19.70!
Johnson Nnamani
Imaobong Nse Uko
Opeyemi Deborah Oke
Bamidele AjayiCongrats🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/R3BG99MgNA
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 18, 2021
The Mixed Relays is one of the most recent events added to the athletics sports and Nigeria is already up to speed in competing for honours in the unique event.
Team Nigeria made one change to the quartet that ran a then championship record of 3:21.66 in the semi-final by bringing in Uko, the fastest girl in the 400 metres heading into the championships, and the 17-year-old didn’t disappoint as she handed over the baton to third leg runner, Oke in first position.
Uko has also qualified for the individual 400m final scheduled for Saturday and stands as the favourite to restore Nigeria as World Athletics U20 Championships 400m champions since Bisi Afolabi succeeded Fatimah Yusuf as queen of the quartermile in 1994 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Meanwhile, the duo of Godson Oghenebrume and Praise Ofokwu qualified for the 100m men and women’s final.
Oghenebrume ran the second fastest time overall to win Heat 3 of the men’s 100m semifinal in a time of 10.22s while Ofoku was also first in her semis heat, clocking 11.57.
Cuba’s Shanier Montoya (2nd) ran a Personal Best time of 10.29s but Brume will have a chance for a medal going into Thursday’s final.
In the men’s javelin throw, Team Nigeria’s Chinecherem Nnamdi threw a massive new personal best and Nigeria U20 record of 78.03 meters to qualify for the final.
The 19-year-old 2019 African Games bronze medal winner added almost 5cm to his previous best of 73.24m to jump to the queue as one of the favourites for the gold medal.
Nigeria has not won a medal in the event at the World U20 Championships and Nnamdi could make history when the final is held on Friday.
Watch a video of the race below;
View this post on Instagram
