Nigeria picks surprise relay bronze

Nigeria women's 4x100m relay quartet of Franca Idoko, Gloria Kemasuode, Halimat Ismaila, and African sprint champion Oludamola Osayomi this evening at the Beijing's Birds nest stadium snatched a bronze medal in a time of 43.04s.

The Barcelona 1992 bronze medalists only managed to qualified as one of the fastest losers from yesterday's semi-finals due to a near disastrous baton exchange between Gloria Kemasuode and Agnes Ozazuwa on the 3rd leg.

But, today with UTEP Senior Halimat Ismaila running in place of Ozasuwa benefitted from baton disasters by the highly favoured Jamaican and American quartets to pick third.

Russia, the Athens 2004 silver medal winners, with Evgeniya Polyakova, Aleksandra Fedoriva, Yulia Gushchina and Yuliya Chermoshanskaya took the gold medals in a time of 42.31 seconds, and reigning world championships bronze medalist Belgium, this time made up of Olivia Borlee, Hanna Marien, Elodie Ouedraogo, and Kim Gevaert, claimed the silver medals in a time of 42.54s.

Full Results

Women's 4 x 100m Relay Final:

1 Russia 42.31 Gold

2 Belgium 42.54 Silver

3 Nigeria 43.04 Bronze

4 Brazil 43.14

5 Germany 43.28

Great Britain DNF, Jamaica DNF, Poland DQ

Men's 4x400m relay semi-finals:

Heat 1

1. United States 2 minutes 59.98 seconds Q

2. Russia 3:00.14 Q

3. Belgium 3:00.67 Q

4. Australia 3:00.68 Q

5. Poland 3:00.74 Q

6. South Africa 3:01.26

7. Cuba 3:02.24

8. France 3:03.19

Heat 2

1. Britain 2:59.33 Q

2. Bahamas 2:59.88 Q

3. Jamaica 3:00.09 Q

4. Germany 3:03.49

5. Trinidad & Tobago 3:04.12

6. Japan 3:04.18

7. Greece 3:04.30

8. Dominican Republic 3:04.31

Women's 4x400m relay semi-finals:

Heat 1

1. Russia 3:23.71 Q

2. Cuba 3:25.46 Q

3. Great Britain 3:25.48 Q

4. Germany 3:25.55 Q

5. Ukraine 3:27.44

6. Poland 3:28.23

7. India 3:28.83

8. Japan 3:30.52

Heat 2

1. United States 3:22.45 Q

2. Jamaica 3:22.60 Q

3. Belarus 3:22.78 Q

4. Nigeria 3:24.10 Q

5. France 3:26.61

6. Brazil 3:30.10

7. Mexico 3:30.36

8. China 3:30.77