United States-based Nigerian sprinter, Alaba Akintola, says the country will make a podium finish in the men’s 4x100m relay, which will begin tomorrow at the ongoing World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Akintola will begin his campaign in the 200m event today and if he scales the preliminary round, he will feature in the 200m final on Friday before joining the country’s 4x100m relay team on Saturday.
At the last edition of the World Championships in Oregon, U.S., Akintola qualified to represent Nigeria, but he couldn’t make the party.
“At Oregon, I had already bought my ticket and was about to depart Tennessee for Oregon, only to be told to stay back. That was because I could not complete the three mandatory tests before the championships.
“Now, my target is to improve on my Personal Best, qualify for the final in the 200m and book my ticket for Paris 2024 Olympics Games. If I get to the final in the 200m, anything can happen,” he stated.
In absence of Godson Brume and Udodi Onwuzurike, he will join Usheoritse Itsekiri, who won the men’s 100m title in Benin City, Ashe Favour and Seye Ogunlewe in the relay battle.
“We are working as a team, and I am confident that if our baton exchange is smooth, we will get a medal in the 4x100m relay,” Akintola told The Guardian at their Park Inn hotel Radisson in Budapest
