Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports.
Joy Chinenye Udo-Gabriel (C) of Nigeria celebrates with teammate Rosemary Chukwuma (R) of Nigeria after finishing third in the women’s 4x100m relay heats on July 22, 2022 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. (AFP/Jewel SAMAD photo)
At the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA, Nigeria’s 4100 meters women’s relay team set a new African record.
Joy Udo-Gabriel, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Grace Nwokocha finished fourth in the final in 42.22 seconds, shattering an African record that had stood for 30 years.
Nigeria also set an African record of 42.39 seconds in the women’s 4100 meters heats at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Beatrice Utondu, Faith Idehen, Christy Opara-Thompson, and Mary Onyali won bronze in the finals.
Nigeria has yet to win a medal in the women’s 4x100m relay at the world championships, with a fourth-place finish their best result to date.
Endurance Ojokolo, Mercy Nku, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, and Chioma Ajunwa finished fourth in Tokyo, Japan, in 1991, and Beatrice Utondu, Rufina Ubah, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, and Christy Opara-Thompson finished fourth in Edmonton, Canada, in 2001.
