Team South Africa (SA) secured a place in the 4x400m relay final at the 2024 Paris Olympics after Nigeria was disqualified for a lane violation.
Story Summary:
- South Africa won an appeal in the 4x400m relay heat after arguing they were impeded.
- Nigeria has been disqualified due to a lane violation.
- Nigeria’s disqualification followed after one of their runners crossed lanes, tripping a South African runner.
How Nigeria’s violation earned Team SA a spot in the 4x400m relay final
South Africa’s 4x400m relay team was handed an unexpected opportunity to compete in the final after Nigeria’s disqualification.
During the heats, Nigeria’s relay team, consisting of Emmanuel Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Dubem Amene, and Chidi Okezie, finished with a season’s best time of 2:59.81, which initially secured them a spot in the final.
However, the celebrations were short-lived as officials reviewed the race and determined that one of the Nigerian athletes had crossed lanes, leading to the tripping of a South African runner.
As a result, Nigeria was disqualified, and their spot in the final was awarded to Team SA.
The disqualification dashed Nigeria’s hopes of repeating their previous Olympic successes in the 4x400m relay, where they had won medals in the 1984, 2000, and 2004 Games.
Team SA, which had argued that they were impeded during the race, successfully appealed the decision, allowing them to advance to the final.
It remains unclear whether Nigeria will appeal the disqualification.
Here’s a look at the lane violation:
