Three Nigerian relay teams have joined long-distance runners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Algeria and Morocco, and a high jumper from South Africa, in the athletics finals' festival at the Olympics on Saturday.
Nigerian teams qualified for both the women's 4x100m and the 4x400m finals on Friday, and the men's team reached the 4x400 men's final.
In the women's 4x100m races, Nigeria, Ghana and Madagascar reached the semi-final, while Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon were eliminated. The Nigerian team of Glory Alozie, Benedicta Ajudua, Mercy Nku and Mary Onyali-Omagbemi subsequently came third in the semi-final to break into the final.
In the 4x400m, Senegal dropped out in the first round and Nigeria was the only African team to qualify for the semi-final. The Nigerian team comprises Doris Jacob, Olabisi Afolabi, Rosemary Okafor and Charity Opara.
Liberia, Mauritius, Ghana and Cameroon were eliminated in the first round of the men's 4x100m, while Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria made it to the semi-finals but failed to reach the final.
The Nigerian men's 4x400m team of Clement Chukwu, Jude Monye, Enefiok Udo-Obong and Sunday Bada was the only African team to reach the final. Kenya, South Africa, Senegal and Botswana succeeded in reaching the semis but were then knocked out. Algeria, Zimbabwe and Ghana did not get beyond the first round.
The first big final on Saturday is the women's 10,000m race, in which Africans have eight of the 20 places. They have two places in the women's 1,500m, and nine of 15 places in the men's 5,000m final.
Runners in the 10,000m include Derartu Tulu, Berhane Adere and Gete Wami of Ethiopia, Tegla Loroupe, Sally Barsosio and Alice Timbilil of Kenya, Asmae Leghzaoui of Morocco, and Elana Meyer of South Africa.
Nouria Merah-Benida of Algeria and Kutre Dulecha of Ethiopia are in the 1,500m, while the men in the 5,000m include Brahim Lahlafi of Morocco, Millon Wolde, Fita Bayissa and Dagne Alemu of Ethiopia, Reda Benzine and Ali Saidi-Sief of Algeria, and Julius Gitahi, Richard Limo and David Chelule of Kenya.
Hestrie Cloete of South Africa is in the women's high jump final.
