Samuel Ogazi Sets New Nigerian 400m Record in Athens

Samuel Ogazi, a 19-year-old sprint sensation, broke the Nigerian men's 400m record with a time of 44.02 seconds at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial in Athens on Saturday. This remarkable performance not only rewrote the record books but also surpassed the nearly four-decade-old record of 44.17 seconds set by Innoc Egbunik in 1987.

Ogazi's time is the fastest in the world for the season and ranks him sixth on Africa's all-time list. He improved his personal best from 44.41 seconds and finished second in the race by a mere 0.005 seconds.

This achievement strengthens his reputation as an exciting quarter-miler and positions him favorably for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Additionally, he has claimed the national title for 2025 and is making a mark in collegiate athletics at the University of Alabama, where he ranks as the sixth fastest in collegiate history.

His latest performance suggests that breaking the sub-44 second barrier is within reach for a Nigerian male athlete.