Nigeria and African Senior Athletics Championships bronze medallist, Samuel Ogazi aims to continue his remarkable run at the Paris Olympic Games in the men’s 400m final on Wednesday.
Ogazi made history by becoming the first Nigerian to reach this stage in 36 years. He competed in the last semi-final at Stade de France on Tuesday, Ogazi set a new personal best of 44.41s, finishing third and securing his spot in the final as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers. The last Nigerian to compete in the men’s 400m final was Innocent Egbunike at the 1988 Seoul Games.
Ogazi finished behind Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, who won the race in 44.07s, and USA’s Michael Norman, who placed second with a time of 44.26s. The 19-year-old Nigerian, along with USA’s Christopher Bailey (44.31 PB), secured the two fastest non-automatic qualifying spots, ahead of Botswana’s Busang Kebinatshipi.
Ogazi’s achievement also marks the first time in 24 years that a Nigerian male quarter-miler has reached the semi-finals of the event at the Olympics. He will compete against a strong field, including Kirani James (Grenada) and Quincy Hall (USA), in the final.
To qualify for the Olympics, the University of Alabama student became the second-fastest Nigerian over the distance in 37 years, breaking the school record with a time of 44.17s in the men’s 400m final at the SEC Outdoor Championships in May.
