THE Nigeria’s 4×400 mixed relay team quest for silverware at the 19th World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, ended on Day 1 after they failed to qualify for the final race.

The quartet of Dubem Nwachukwu, Patience Okon-George, Ezekiel Nathaniel and Imaobong Nse Uko represented country in the mixed 4x400m relay.

The team competed against Jamaica, Poland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Czech Republic and Germany in group B, finishing 7th in the qualifying heat.

During the qualifying heat, Nwachukwu began the race in the first leg before passing the baton to Okon-George, who took the second leg handing over to Nathaniel, who took over, with Uko running the final leg.

After the race, the team ended in the 7th position, clocking a Season’s Best (SB) of 3:14.38 in Heat 2, with Uko anchoring at the time but ranked 12th overall.

At the last championship in Oregon, the Nigerian quartet ran 3:16.21 to finish in sixth position in the qualifying heat to become the first mixed relay team to get to the final of a global championship.