Team Nigeria continued their outing at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Wednesday with Favour Ofili and Alaba Akintola participating in the 200m Heat for women and men respectively.
Ofili advanced into the semi-final after running one of the fastest times outside the top-3 positions in each Heat. She completed the 200m race in 22.66 seconds while African 200m women’s champion, Gina Bass of Gambia also earned a non-automatic qualification with her time of 23.02 seconds.
In the men’s category, Akintola finished the race in 20.54 seconds behind USA’s Kenny Bednarek who clocked 20.01 seconds, but the Nigerian got an automatic qualification into the semi-final after France’s Ryan Zeze was disqualified for a false start but he ran the race under protest.
He will be in Lane 2 for the second semi-final of the men’s 200m and she will be up against USA’s Kenneth Bednarek who won Tuesday’s Heat and African 200m record holder Letsile Tebogo of Botswana.
Other Africans in the men’s 200m semi-final are South Africa trio of Sinesipho Dambile, Shaun Maswanganyi, Luxolo Adams and Uganda’s Tarsis Orogot while Africa’s fastest Marie-Josee Ta Lou also advanced into the semis alongsider her compatriots Maboundou Kone, Jessika Gbai and Gambia’s Gina Bass will join Ofili in the semis.
