Onyali excited by Team Nigeria’s Tokyo Olympics women’s relays tickets

FORMER sprinter and Olympic medallist Mary Onyali is delighted that Nigeria will be taking part in the Tokyo Olympics women’s 4x100m and 4×400m events.

The Nigerian quartet made up of Nse Imaobong, Favour Ofili, Knowledge Omovoh and Patience Okon-George qualified for the Olympics when they ran a season’s best of 3:26.83s at the Lagos State Open Athletics Championship on Thursday.

The performance took them to 13th best in the rankings, with 16 allowed by World Athletics to compete in the event at the Olympic games.

The women’s 4x100m team had earlier earned their spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The qualification window for the events closes on 29 June.

Former African and Commonwealth 100m and 200m champion Onyali believes the women’s qualification is deserved reward for hard work.

“Team Nigeria’s qualification in the relays in women’s 4x100m and 4x400m in the Olympics is mission accomplished,” Onyali, who is also the Special Adviser to the sports minister Sunday Dare, said on Friday.

“These championships have taken Team Nigeria upwards in the world ranking. Before now, Team Nigeria was in the 16th position in the 4x100m but the time run at Yaba Tech during the trials moved Team Nigeria up to 14th.

“In the 4x400m team Nigeria was 17th but what was run yesterday moved us up to 13th in the world. Congratulations Team Nigeria, we look forward to a superb performance in Tokyo.”

The men’s teams in those events are on the verge of missing out on the Games.

Onyali, 53, is one of Nigeria’s most accomplished athletes, winning bronze in the women’s ×100m relay at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and another bronze in the 200m at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, United States of America.