Nigeria’s bid to qualify both its men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo suffered a significant setback over the weekend after the Netherlands delivered a record-breaking performance at the European Team Championships in Madrid.
Heading into the weekend, Nigeria and the Netherlands were tied in 15th position on the men’s qualification list with identical times of 38.20 seconds — well-positioned to claim one of the final two time-based slots for Tokyo.
But the Dutch sprint quartet dramatically altered the qualification landscape by clocking 37.87s, a new national and championship record that also led the European circuit.
The team of Nsikak Ekpo, Taymir Burnet, Xavi Mo-Ajok, and Elvis Afrifa stunned the competition with seamless baton exchanges and a commanding lead over rivals Germany (38.27s) and Great Britain (38.33s), pushing Nigeria to the precarious 16th and final spot on the provisional list.
With only 16 relay teams advancing to Tokyo — 14 via qualification at the 2024 World Relays in Guangzhou and two more via world rankings as of August 27 — Nigeria’s position is now under immediate threat.
Several nations, including Brazil (38.40s), Jamaica (38.45s), and Trinidad & Tobago (38.46s), are within striking distance of Nigeria’s mark. Any improvement from these teams over the next two months could see Nigeria knocked out of the qualification bracket.
The outlook is even more worrying for the women’s 4x100m squad. With a season-best time of 42.70s, the Nigerian team is currently ranked 17th in the world, outside the qualification cutoff.
Australia (42.48s) and Ivory Coast (42.63s) occupy the final two qualifying spots in the time-based category, and Nigeria must leapfrog both to secure a place in Tokyo.
There are still four meets on the calendar where Nigerian athletes can attempt to improve their times: 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).
Athletics analysts have emphasized the urgency of the situation. “Nigeria must not only run faster — they must do so with technical perfection in baton exchanges and lane discipline,” said retired sprint coach Felix Obatola. “There is absolutely no room for error.”
The potential failure to qualify would echo past disappointments, including Nigeria’s inability to field full relay squads at recent global championships due to disqualifications, injuries, or missed time standards.
With less than eight weeks to salvage their chances, the pressure is now squarely on Nigeria’s sprint teams to deliver when it matters most — or risk watching from the sidelines as the world’s best gather in Tokyo.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members
