Nigeria’s 4×100 meters women’s relay team has set a new African record at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, the United States of America.
Running in lane 8, the quartet of Joy Udo-Gabriel, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma and Grace Nwokocha clocked 42.22 seconds as they finished 4th in the final to break the 30-year-old African record.
The previous African record of 42.39 seconds was also set by Nigeria in the heats of the women’s 4×100 meters at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics. The team made up of Beatrice Utondu, Faith Idehen, Christy Opara-Thompson, and Mary Onyali would go on to win a bronze medal in the final.
Nigeria is yet to win a medal in the women’s 4x100m at the world championships with the fourth place being the country’s best placement in the event to date.
The team made up of Beatrice Utondu, Rufina Ubah, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, and Christy Opara-Thompson placed fourth at the 1991edition in Tokyo, Japan while Endurance Ojokolo, Mercy Nku, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi and Chioma Ajunwa also matched the placement at the 2001 edition in Edmonton, Canada.