For the 11th time in 19 editions, Team Nigeria is returning home from the World Athletics Championships without a medal after the country’s contingent failed to make it to the podium in Budapest, Hungary.
The team’s medals hopes were pinned to the shoulders of long jumper, Ese Brume and sprint hurdler, Tobi Amusan.
Brume brought Nigeria back to the podium in 2019 with a bronze medal after two medalless editions (2015 and 2017) and she helped in getting Nigeria twice to the podium three years later in Oregon, USA where she upgraded her bronze medal win in 2019 to silver.
Amusan joined the party in Oregon after placing fourth in 2019 but her appearance at the World Athletics Championships podium was historic.
She first made history as the first Nigerian to set a world outdoor record when she ran 12.12 seconds in the semifinals of the 100m hurdles event in Oregon.
The then 25-year-old followed up with a first-ever gold medal by a Nigerian at World Athletics’ flagship event.
However, following the inability of the duo to get to the podium, the team, led by Tonobok Okowa, president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, turned prayer warriors, seeking a miracle for the relay teams.
Wishes failed to become horses and team Nigeria’s horses could not ride as the men’s and women’s 4x100m failed to make it to the final with the women’s team even dropping the baton.
All hopes were now placed on the women’s 4x400m team to make it to Sunday’s final where winning a medal would be the focus
Two of the athletes who qualified the team for the Championships were turned to ‘used and dumped’ because the AFN failed to include them in the registered pool of athletes to be tested for three out-of-competition tests which was a pre-condition for any Nigerian athlete to fulfil before they can compete in any major international competitions and Games.
Obviously being an impartial God that rewards hard work and proper planning and not indiscipline and planlessness, the Nigerian 4x400m team, an obvious victim of an unruly federation failed to make it to the final.
Overall, Team Nigeria had only two athletes in the final which makes this edition one of the worst in terms of performance.
Team Nigeria Returns From World Championships Without Medal For 11th Time.
