Nigeria’s hopes of ending a decades long wait for Commonwealth Games gold in the men’s 4×100 metres relay will once again rest on the shoulders of one of its fastest men after Favour Ashe emerged as the country’s standard bearer ahead of the athletics competition in Glasgow.
Fresh from winning the men’s 100m at the BFTAA Open in Lee Valley, England, Ashe arrives in Scotland in impressive form and is expected to anchor a Nigerian relay squad brimming with speed, experience and ambition.
The national 100m champion underlined his credentials by clocking 10.06 seconds, aided by a +2.6m/s tailwind, to beat Great Britain’s Nicholas Walsh (10.11s) and Ade Adewale (10.19s), reinforcing his status as one of Africa’s leading sprinters ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
His recent victory follows another dominant display at the National Athletics Trials held at Yaba College of Technology, where he claimed the men’s 100m title to cement his place in Team Nigeria.
Nigeria chasing elusive relay gold
Nigeria’s history in men’s sprinting is rich with individual brilliance and relay success, yet the Commonwealth Games relay title has remained frustratingly out of reach.
The country’s sprint tradition stretches back to Olapade Adeniken and Davidson Ezinwa, who both reached Olympic 100m finals with sixth-place finishes at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 respectively.
Olusoji Fasuba later etched his name into history by becoming Nigeria’s first Commonwealth Games men’s 100m champion after winning gold at Melbourne 2006.
While individual sprint success has been celebrated, Nigeria’s relay teams have consistently demonstrated their ability to compete with the world’s best.
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At the 1997 World Athletics Championships in Athens, the quartet of Osmond Ezinwa, Olapade Adeniken, Francis Obikwelu and Davidson Ezinwa claimed silver after setting a national record of 37.94 seconds in the semi finals a mark that still stands today.
Two years later in Seville, Innocent Asonze, Francis Obikwelu, Daniel Effiong and Deji Aliu secured another World Championship medal with bronze while setting what was then an African record of 37.91 seconds.
Nigeria’s relay pedigree also includes an Olympic silver medal inherited from Beijing 2008 after Jamaica’s disqualification, rewarding the efforts of Onyeabor Ngwogu, Obinna Metu, Chinedu Oriala and Uchenna Emedolu.
Strong relay tradition at the Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games have also produced memorable moments for Nigeria’s sprint relay programme.
Seye Ogunlewe, Mark Jelks, Ogho-Oghene Egwero and Divine Oduduru claimed bronze at Glasgow 2014 before another bronze followed four years later on Australia’s Gold Coast through Ogunlewe, Oduduru, Raymond Ekevwo and Emmanuel Arowolo.
Nigeria came closest to gold at Birmingham 2022, where Ashe teamed up with Raymond Ekevwo, Alaba Akintola and Udodi Onwuzurike to win silver behind Kenya in the country’s best ever finish in the event.
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This year’s relay squad may be Nigeria’s strongest in recent memory.
Alongside Ashe are Israel Sunday Okon, Fakorede Adekalu, Kanyinsola Ajayi, Alaba Akintola, Udodi Onwuzurike and Chidera Ezeakor, giving the coaching crew multiple combinations capable of challenging for the podium.
After three weeks of intensive preparations at the team’s training base in Aberdeen, confidence within the Nigerian camp is growing that the country’s long pursuit of Commonwealth relay gold could finally come to an end.
