Samuel Ogazi Makes Olympic History as First Nigerian in 36 Years to Reach 400m Final

Credit: Samuel Ogazi/Instagram

Samuel Ogazi has made history as the first Nigerian man since 1988 to qualify for the Olympic 400-metre final. The 18-year-old athlete achieved this feat with a third-place finish in Heat 3 of the semifinals, clocking a new personal-best time of 44.41 seconds at the ongoing Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Currently an undergraduate at the University of Alabama, Samuel has established himself as a prominent figure in track and field. He holds the Nigerian under-18 record for the 400 metres, having run 45.35 seconds in March. His performance at the Olympics adds to an impressive list of achievements, including winning the 200m and 400m titles at the 2023 African U18 and U20 Championships in Athletics in Ndola, Zambia. He also bagged gold in the 200m and 400m at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, where he set a new games record with his Nigerian team in the mixed 4x100m relay.

This milestone marks the first time Nigeria has been represented in the Olympic men’s 400-metre final since Innocent Egbunike participated in Seoul 1988, where he finished fifth with a time of 44.72 seconds.

Samuel is set to compete in the final today at 9:20 pm, running in lane two. He’ll be up against competitors such as Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain and Michael Norman of the USA.