Nigeria’s women’s 4×400 metres relay team emerged as one of the biggest highlights at the MTN Champs Athletics Classics in Calabar, securing qualification for the World Relays Championships scheduled for May in Botswana.

The Nigerian quartet, made up of Patience Okon-George, Anita Enaruna, Treasure Okereke and Jecinter Lawrence, delivered a strong performance on the final day of the competition, clocking 3:31.14.

The time pushed Nigeria up to 21st in the world rankings and displaced Mexico from the qualification slots for the global relay event, which will be hosted on African soil for the first time.

Team Ethiopia finished second in the race with a time of 3:38.31, while Nigeria’s B team placed third with 3:40.50.

Nigeria’s men’s 4×400 metres relay team narrowly missed qualification after running 3:04.59, just under two seconds outside the required mark of 3:03.

Team Nigeria athlete Nathaniel Samson, a 400 metres specialist, said the team remained optimistic despite missing the target.

According to him, the team ran between 3:04 and 3:05 during the race but believes that with more competitions they will be able to improve their time and meet the qualifying mark.

Samson noted that Nigerian athletes continue to give their best in representing the country but require stronger support, especially financially.

He explained that athletes invest time, energy and sacrifices in training and competitions, stressing that adequate backing would help them perform better.

The Lagos State athlete, who has competed at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, African Games and the African Championships, said he is targeting a sub-45 seconds run in the 400 metres this season.

He also praised the MTN Champs initiative, describing it as a grassroots platform capable of discovering and nurturing young talents across the country.

According to him, programmes like MTN Champs can help Nigeria produce more elite athletes similar to world record holder Tobi Amusan and other emerging stars.

Meanwhile, Team MTN B won the junior men’s 4×100 metres relay with a time of 43.32 seconds, ahead of Team MTN A which finished in 43.62 seconds, while Golden Edge took third in 44.58 seconds.

Grace and Gold also dominated the girls’ relay race, winning in 48.89 seconds ahead of Secondary Commercial School, Ibiaku Itam and Government Secondary School, Idang.

In other events, Toheebat Jimoh won the women’s 200 metres in a personal best of 24.51 seconds, while Olaoluwa Obashola claimed the men’s 200 metres title in 21.74 seconds.