Samuel Ogazi, an 18-year-old Nigerian sprinter, has made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics by qualifying for the 400m semi-finals with a personal best time of 44.50 seconds.
This achievement breaks a 16-year drought, making Ogazi the first Nigerian male athlete to reach the event’s semi-finals since 2008.
Ogazi’s stellar performance earned him an automatic berth in the semi-finals, where he aims to become the first Nigerian in 28 years to advance to the 400m final.
The last Nigerian to achieve this was Sunday Bada at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Fellow Nigerian Chidi Okezie also competed on Sunday but narrowly missed an automatic semi-final spot, finishing fourth in his heat with a time of 45.52 seconds.
Okezie will have another opportunity to qualify through the Repechage Round on Monday morning.
Ogazi’s strong finishing capability has garnered praise, and expectations are high for him to improve his time in the semi-finals.
Sunday’s 400m heats also featured impressive performances, including the USA’s Michael Norman, who clocked the fastest time of 44.10 seconds.
