Nigeria's 4×400 medley relay team narrowly missed out on a spot in the Paris Olympics final, finishing fourth in a time of 3:11.99.
Italy narrowly edged out Nigeria, securing the final spot in the final. The Nigerian quartet, consisting of Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo, Emmanuel Ojeli and Patience Okon-George, competed in the second heat against teams from seven other countries, including Great Britain, the Netherlands and Germany.
Despite a strong start, with Ogazi and Onojuvwevwo finishing in the top three in the first and second stints respectively, the team's pace faltered in the third and fourth stints, ultimately falling short of making the final.
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Although they missed out on a spot in the final, the Nigerian team set a new national record, breaking the previous time of 3:12 with their final of 3:11.99.
New world record
In an earlier series, Team USA made history by breaking world and Olympic records in the 4×400 medley relay, finishing with an astonishing time of 3:07.41.
The team, consisting of Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Kaylyn Brown, surpassed the previous world record of 3:08.80, set by the American quartet at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.