Olympics Day 11 : 28 years jinx broken, Nigeria qualify for 400m men’s final

By Samuel Akpan in Paris

Samuel Ogazi, Nigeria’s sprint star, has become the first Nigerian athlete in 28 years to qualify for the 400m final at the Olympic Games, following the outstanding Sunday Bada’s qualification at the 1996 Olympics.

Ogazi ran the race of his life, running a new PB (Personal Best) of 44.41s to finish third in heat 3 of the 400m semis, booking an automatic spot in the final.

Persecondnews reports that Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith won the race in 44.07s, and Michael Norman took the second automatic spot in 44.26s.

Persecondnews recalls that the 18-year-old athlete made a remarkable debut in the Olympic Games, qualifying for the 400m semi-finals with a new personal best time of 44.50s.

The achievement marks a historic milestone, as Ogazi becomes the first Nigerian male athlete to reach the event’s semi-finals since 2008.

Ogazi’s impressive performance earned him an automatic spot in the semi-finals, where he aimed to become the first Nigerian in 28 years to run in the event’s final.

Sunday’s heats in Atlanta 1996 also saw impressive performances from other athletes, including Michael Norman of the USA, who clocked the fastest time of the day at 44.10 seconds.

With notable runs, Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga and Botswana’s Busang Kebinatshipi and Bayopo Ndori secured their places in the semi-finals.