The Nigerian women’s 4x400m relay team will not participate in the Paris Olympic Games despite clinching the gold medal at the 2024 African Athletics Championships in Douala. The team, consisting of Ella Onojuvwevwo, Patience Okon, Esther Elo Joseph, and Omolara Ogunmakinju, clocked a time of 3:27.31 to reclaim their championship title, previously lost to South Africa two years ago in Mauritius.

Onojuvwevwo started strong, handing the baton to Okon-George in first place. Okon-George maintained the lead despite a late charge from Zambia’s Qincy Malekani. National Champion Joseph extended the lead further, leaving Ogunmankinju to finish the race at 3:27.31, securing victory for Team Nigeria.

However, despite their triumph over rivals Botswana and Zambia, the team will not compete in Paris. They needed to surpass Cuba’s time of 3:26.08, which currently holds the last qualifying spot on the world list at 16th.

With Nigeria now out of two relay events at the Olympics, the country’s hopes for a relay medal in Paris rest on the mixed 4x400m, women’s 4x100m, and men’s 4x400m teams.

The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024, with Paris as the main host city and events spread across 16 other cities in Metropolitan France.

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