Nigeria, Ethiopia Battle for World Relays Qualification in Calabar
Nigeria and Ethiopia will compete in a special relay event in Calabar as both countries aim to qualify for the World Athletics Relays.
The race is part of the MTN Champs Athletics Classic, a three-day athletics meet that began on Thursday. The competition includes head-to-head races in the mixed, men’s, and women’s 4×400 metres relay events.
The races offer an early chance for the two countries to achieve the required qualification times for the global relay event scheduled for May 2–3 in Gaborone. The qualification window closes on April 5.
This is the first time an East African country is competing in the MTN Champs series. The organisers, Making of Champions, said Ethiopia’s participation adds an international flavour to the competition.
Besides the relay races, Ethiopian athletes will also compete in individual 400m events.
Although the official relay teams have not yet been announced, several Nigerian 400m runners are already competing in Calabar.
Among them are experienced athletes Patience Okon-George and Emmanuel Ojeli. Other Nigerian athletes in the event include Anita Enurana, Toheebat Jimoh, Ezekiel Asuquo, Gafar Badmus, and Victor Sampson.
Ethiopia has already shown strong performance. Ethiopian runner Merdekiyos Wolde Wachiso won his heat in the men’s 400m on Thursday with a time of 47.20 seconds.
The competition will continue on Friday with the mixed 4x400m relay race. The men’s and women’s 4x400m finals will take place on Saturday.
The Calabar event is the first of several opportunities for Nigeria to qualify for the World Relays. The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has also scheduled the Continental Relays in Jos from March 26 to 28 as another important preparation event.
The MTN Champs season will end with its grand finale in Ibadan from April 15 to 18.
At the World Relays in Gaborone, only 24 teams will compete in each event. The top eight teams from the World Athletics Championships have already secured automatic qualification. The remaining teams will qualify based on global rankings.
Strong performances at the World Relays will also help teams qualify for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship and the World Athletics Championships.
