Nigeria’s hopes of featuring in the relay events at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo have received a timely boost following the announcement of the AFN/Dynamic Athletics Meet scheduled for July 10 at the Yabatech Sports Complex, Lagos.
The second edition of the Dynamics Meet, now officially partnered with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, is being positioned as a critical qualification platform for Nigerian relay teams and athletes from other countries yet to secure a spot in Tokyo.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Sports Extra, organiser and founder of the event, Olabanji Ayegbusi, revealed that strategic measures are being implemented to ensure the meet meets global standards and helps Nigeria secure crucial qualifying times, particularly in the relays.
“We are putting specific measures in place to ensure that the Dynamics Meet serves as a valid qualification platform for the World Athletics Championships,” Ayegbusi said.
“The AFN is now fully involved, and that has given the event a significant boost.”
Nigeria’s men’s and women’s 4x100m teams currently sit just outside the qualification threshold for Tokyo, following recent performances by rival nations like the Netherlands and Ivory Coast.
With the qualification window closing on August 24 and limited meets remaining, the stakes at Yabatech could not be higher.
“This competition presents a prime opportunity,” Ayegbusi added.
“There will be relay showcases where home-based athletes will be given a chance to compete. Conversations are ongoing for other countries to participate, so it’s going to be a high-performance environment.”
While Nigeria faces stiff competition on the global stage, Ayegbusi believes the talent pool within the country is strong, citing recent performances at the National Sports Festival where four athletes ran sub-46 seconds in the 400m final.
“These performances give us confidence that this meet will elevate the athletes’ form ahead of the national trials at the end of July. At the last National Sports Festival, a home-based athlete beat a US-based athlete to win the 100m. That shows the potential we have when athletes are given quality competition,” he said.
Some of Nigeria’s top stars are expected to feature at the Lagos meet, including 2020 Olympic finalist Enoch Adegoke, who Ayegbusi said “ran his fastest time in two years at the last Dynamics Meet.”
Others listed include 400m hurdler Nathaniel Ezekiel, seasoned sprinter Patience Okon-George, Emmanuel Ojeli, Sikiru Adeyemi, and rising talent Gafar Badmus.
In a further development, Ayegbusi added that foreign-based Nigerian athletes who will be competing at the African U-18 and U-20 Championships are also expected to use the meet to maintain form ahead of the event.
According to Ayegbusi, interest has already been shown by foreign athletes from countries like Ivory Coast and Mali.
“Once the registration portal opens, which could be today or tomorrow, we will have a clearer picture of the countries and athletes confirmed,” he said.
The international relays, men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m, alongside the mixed categories, will serve not only as qualifying platforms for Nigerian teams but also for other African nations still chasing qualification.
AFN Technical Director Gabriel Okon affirmed the federation’s support for the meet, describing it as “a high-performance platform just ahead of the national trials, which is crucial in their build-up to global competitions.”
The AFN’s involvement also includes international outreach, with Ayegbusi noting that, “While I cannot speak definitively on the countries, the AFN Technical Director is actively working to secure their participation.”
With only 16 teams qualifying for each relay event in Tokyo, 14 through the World Relays and two based on top performance lists as of August 24, Nigeria’s current 16th place in the men’s 4x100m and 17th in the women’s category puts them in a precarious position.
Recent record-setting performances by the Netherlands and the emergence of strong times from countries like Australia and Jamaica have tightened the race.
Nigeria’s final chances now lie in the Dynamics Meet and a few other scheduled championships in Togo and Ghana next month.
As Ayegbusi summed up, “Nigeria has emerging talent. All they need is opportunity and the right environment to compete. This meet provides both.”
The 2025 edition of the AFN/Dynamic Athletics Meet will feature both premium and classic cash prize categories, reinforcing its ambition to rank among the most prestigious athletics competitions on the global calendar.
AloJapan.com