Nigerian Athletes

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Nigeria’s hopes of fielding a men and women 4x100m relay team at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo suffered a major blow over the weekend after The Netherlands surged ahead in the qualification race with a record-breaking performance at the European Team Championships in Madrid, The PUNCH reports.

Both nations had previously been tied in 15th position with identical times of 38.20s, which would have been enough to clinch one of the final two qualification spots based on time.

However, the Dutch men’s quartet clocked a sensational 37.87s, setting a new national record, championships record, and European lead, effectively knocking Nigeria down to 16th, the last spot of the provisional qualification bracket.

The Netherlands’ team, comprising Nsikak Ekpo, Taymir Burnet, Xavi Mo-Ajok and Elvis Afrifa, executed flawless baton exchanges to dominate the race and finish well ahead of Germany (38.27s) and Great Britain (38.33s).

The result not only placed them in pole position for one of the two time-based entries to Tokyo, but it also reasserted their status as a European sprinting force.

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With only 16 teams qualifying for the relay events in Tokyo, 14 from the World Relays in Guangzhou and two others based on the top performance lists as of August 27, Nigeria’s position is now precarious.

Currently sitting 16th, the men’s team could be bumped further down the list should any of Brazil (38.40s), Jamaica (38.45s), Trinidad & Tobago (38.46s) or other nations improve their times in the coming months.

In the women’s 4x100m, the situation is even bleaker.

Nigeria ranks 17th on the current top list with a best time of 42.70s, trailing both Australia (42.48) and Ivory Coast (42.63), the final two countries currently occupying the time-based qualifying spots.

With the qualification window closing on August 24, Nigeria now has a slim margin to correct the course.

Their remaining opportunities include the Nigerian Championships (July 31–August 2), the Togo Championships (August 9), the CAA Region II Championships in Ghana (August 15–16), and the Ghanaian Championships (August 21–22).

Should Nigeria fail to improve their times within the next four meets, the country’s sprint relay lanes in Tokyo will remain empty, an outcome that would mirror the missed opportunities of recent global championships.

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