Relay quartet becomes first to run under 43 seconds as Nigeria also secures men’s silver and dominates multiple track events in Accra…..
Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay team delivered a record-breaking performance on Friday at the African Athletics Championships in Accra, successfully defending their title while rewriting the competition’s history books.
The quartet of Rosemary Nwankwo, Jennifer Chukwuka Obi, Rosemary Chukwuma and Miracle Ezechukwu stormed to gold in 42.94 seconds, becoming the first team ever to break the 43-second barrier at the continental championships.
Their blistering run not only secured victory but also set a new championship record, with Liberia finishing second and hosts Ghana taking third.
The performance capped a dominant showing in the women’s sprint relay, further reinforcing Nigeria’s reputation as a powerhouse in African women’s sprinting.
In the men’s 4x100m final, Nigeria also put up a strong fight to claim silver in a tightly contested race. The team of Favour Ashe, James Taiwo Emmanuel, Tejiri Godwin and Chidera Ezeakor clocked 38.70 seconds, with Ezeakor producing a strong anchor leg to edge past Ghana at the finish line.
However, both Nigeria and Ghana were beaten to gold by a fast-finishing Ivory Coast team, who won in 38.52 seconds.
The relay medals added to Nigeria’s impressive overall performance at the championships, which have been taking place at the University of Ghana Stadium since May 12 and run until May 17.
Earlier in the competition, Nigeria had already made its presence felt across individual sprint events.
Ezeakor had opened his medal account with bronze in the men’s 100m, clocking 10.32 seconds in a tightly contested race where fractions separated the podium finishers.
In the women’s 100m, Rosemary Chukwuma narrowly missed out on gold after finishing in 11.49 seconds, the same time as Cameroon’s Hervérge Kole Etame, who was awarded victory on a countback. Liberia’s Thelma Davies took bronze.
Nigeria’s dominance in the women’s hurdles was further underlined by Tobi Amusan, who led a podium sweep in the 100m hurdles. The world record holder reclaimed her continental crown in 12.83 seconds, ahead of compatriots Ashley Miller and Adaobi Tabugbo.
The country also secured gold in the mixed 4x400m relay, with Ezekiel Asuquo, Toheebat Jimoh, Victor Sampson and Patience Okon-George combining for a winning time of 3:16.41, ahead of Botswana and Kenya.
With multiple medals across sprint and relay events, Nigeria’s track and field team continues to assert its strength on the continental stage, rounding off a highly productive championship campaign in Accra.
