Nigeria’s hopes of repeating its past Olympic glory in the 4x400m men’s relay were dashed yesterday as the team was disqualified from the final at the Paris Olympic Games.
The quartet of Emmanuel Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Dubem Amene, and Chidi Okezie had finished heat 2 with an impressive Season’s Best time of 2 minutes 59.81 seconds, but their joy was short-lived.
Officials ruled that one of the Nigerian runners had crossed lanes, causing a South African runner to trip, resulting in the team’s disqualification.
The spot vacated by Nigeria has been awarded to South Africa, dealing a crushing blow to the Nigerian athletes who were hoping to emulate the success of their predecessors who won bronze, gold, and bronze in the 1984, 2000, and 2004 Olympic Games.
