Widely recognized as one of the most intriguing events in Athletics, relay racing is known for its huge focus on team work and coordination. Rightly so, as it has produced some of the most cheered moments in the sport’s history.
Nigeria won her first World Championships relay medal at the 1995 Championships in Gothenburg, and it was a spectacular experience to behold. Having missed out of the final of the men’s 4x400m at all previous editions, Team Nigeria finally got a shot for a podium finish in the event in Gothenburg.
The illustrious quartet of Udeme Ekpeyong, Kunle Adejuyibe, Jude Monye and Sunday Bada gave a valiant performance to bag Bronze – Nigeria’s first medal in eight years, and only the country’s third-ever honour at the World Championships.
Sunday Bada’s anchor-leg run was the highlight for Nigeria in the stacked race. Bada picked up the baton with Nigeria momentarily in 6th place, but he proved himself as Nigeria’s poster boy coming into the competition as he took on and beat stiff competition from Germany, Poland and Great Britain, running a staggering 44.64s split to clinch that Bronze medal for the Nigerian team.
That Bronze eventually happened to be Nigeria’s only medal in Gothenburg, but interestingly, the championship saw more Nigerian athletes advance to the final of their respective events than before and even after.
A total of six Nigerians made it to the final of their respective individual events at the competition, including Bada who placed 8th in the men’s 400m final.
Mary Onyali made it to the final of both the women’s 100m and 200m sprints, finishing 7th and 5th respectively. Olapade Adeniken did not miss out on a chance to make a first-time appearance in the final of the men’s 100m at the competition. The duo of Falilat Ogunkoya and Fatimat Yusuf accomplished a women’s 400m final appearance – the first for Nigerian athletes in the event. In the field event, Discus thrower Adewale Olukoju finished 6th in the men’s final with a throw of 63.66m.
As the countdown to the 40th anniversary of the World Athletics Championships, along with the 2023 edition, set to hold in Budapest, Hungary, from August 19th to 27th, begins, we will highlight Nigeria’s medals won at the World Championships, which first started out as a quadrennial event, but became a biennial one after the third edition held in Tokyo in 1991. Nigeria has won a total of 11 medals: two of them in the relays and nine from individual events!
