The MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Lagos reached a thrilling peak on its penultimate day as the newly sanctioned Mixed 4x100m relay was officially contested for the first time in Nigeria.
The event, recently approved by World Athletics, gave fans a taste of what’s to come at the upcoming World Relays in China and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where it will make its official Olympic debut.
Last month, World Athletics confirmed the mixed 4x100m relay would feature in major upcoming competitions, including the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou and the Ultimate Championships in Budapest next year.
The standard running order—two women followed by two men—will be used initially, though it remains subject to review.
According to World Athletics, official records for the mixed 4x100m will begin to count from 1 January 2026.
At the MTN CHAMPS Relays, Team Continental made history by winning the inaugural final.
Their lineup—Iyanuoluwa Bada, Janet Adesiyan, Chidera Ezeakor, and Favour Ashe—delivered a flawless performance, finishing in 42.91s.
They beat Zabranto Athletics (44.69s), D’Victors A (44.88s), and Benin Republic (45.22s) to the finish line.
Mixed 4x400m Relay delivers more fireworks
The Mixed 4x400m final was equally exciting. The quartet of Miracle Donald-Uwem, Samson Nathaniel, Patience Okon-George, and Emmanuel Ojeli dominated the field, clocking 3:21.63 to take the win.
Team MTN finished second in 3:31.09, while St. Christy Track Club came third in 3:33.96.
Junior Sprint highlights
In one of the day’s biggest upsets, Team MTN’s Ezekiel Asuquo beat favourite Gafar Badmus in the Junior Men’s 400m final.
Asuquo ran a personal best of 47.26s, while Badmus came second with 47.47s. Eniola Shiro completed the top three in 48.53s.
ALSO READ: MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays: Nigeria’s Olympic hopefuls set for action in Lagos
In the Junior Women’s 400m, Toheebat Jimoh added to Team MTN’s medal haul, running a smart race to win in 55.7s. She was followed by Bamidele Aishat (57.2s) and Victory Solomon (57.6s).
Senior and Junior 200m Semifinals
In the Senior Men’s 200m semifinals, Emmanuel Ojeli led the field with the fastest time of 21.07s, ahead of Chidera Ezeakor (21.30s) and Thankgod Igube (21.54s).
Patience Okon-George was the top performer in the Senior Women’s 200m semis, posting a Season’s Best of 24.03s, ahead of Iyanuoluwa Bada (24.20s) and Miracle Donald-Uwem (24.53s).
In the Junior Men’s 200m, John Caleb put himself in position for a sprint double, clocking a new personal best of 21.19s to lead all qualifiers.
He was followed by Qudus Akintoye (21.38s) and Ezekiel Asuquo (21.50s).
For the Junior Women, Hafsoh Bisola, Lucy Nwankwo (24.99s), and Mariam Jegede (25.23s) emerged as the top three qualifiers from the semifinals.
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