Nigerian athletes have attributed some of their underwhelming performances at the 2026 World U-20 Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States, to jet lag and their late arrival at the competition.
Nigeria’s mixed 4x400m relay team of Jecinta Lawrence, Faith Ezechukwu, David Udoh and Perfect Faye failed to qualify for the final after finishing sixth in their heat.
The result marked a disappointing outing for the event in which Nigeria claimed the inaugural title at the 2021 World U-20 Championships in Nairobi. On that occasion, the quartet of Johnson Nnamani, Imaobong Nse Uko, Opeyemi Oke and Bamidele Ajayi combined to win gold in a championship record time of 3:19.70.
Unable to replicate that success in Oregon, members of the current team pointed to the effects of jet lag and inadequate time to adjust after arriving in the United States, saying the circumstances affected their performances at the championships.
