WORLD ATHLETICS U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP: Nigeria Wins Inaugural 4x400m Mixed Relay Gold in Kenya

Team Nigeria lived up to pre-race billings as the 4x400m mixed relay team won the gold medal in a new Championship record time of 3:19.70 at the World Athletics U-20 Championship in Kenya.

The quartet of Johnson Nnamani, Imaobong Nse Uko, Opeyemi Oke and Bamidele Ajayi also made history as the first winners of the event, beating Poland (3:19.80) and India (3:20.60).

Team Nigeria made one change to the quartet that ran a then championship record of 3:21.66 in the semifinal by bringing in Nse Uko, the fastest girl in the quarter-mile coming to the championship and the 17-year old didn’t disappoint as she handed over the baton to third leg runner, Oke in first position.

Nse Uko has also qualified for the individual 400m final scheduled for Saturday and stands as the favourite to restore Nigeria as World U-20 champions since Bisi Afolabi succeeded Fatimah Yusuf as queen of the quarter-mile in 1994 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Meanwhile the duo of Godson Oghenebrume and Praise Ofokwu qualified for the 100m men and women’s final scheduled for today.

Oghenebrume ran 10.22 seconds to win his semifinal heat while Ofoku was also first in her semifinal heat, clocking 11.57.

In the men’s javelin throw, Team Nigeria’s Chinecherem Nnamdi throw a massive new personal best and Nigeria U20 record of 78.03 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 U-20 Championship and Chinecherem could make history when the final is held on Friday.