Samuel Ogazi is arguably one of the greatest generational talents to emerge from Nigeria, going by his meteoric progression in the last couple of years which culminated in his becoming the first Nigerian male quartermiler in 36 years to make the 400m final at the Olympics! The Nigerian is already being projected as the first West African to break the sub-44 barrier.
Ogazi’s humble beginnings in the sport of Athletics started on the tracks of Kaduna where he was discovered at the 2019 Kaduna School Athletics Championships and started training under the tutelage of Coach Sani Mohammed. He attended his first major competition in 2021, the National Sports Festival, competing in the men’s 200m where he set a Personal Best (PB) of 22.09s in the heats.
2022 happened to be the year Ogazi ventured into the 400m and became a name in the Nigerian domestic circuit. He made his debut at the Nigerian Championships where he attempted the 400m for the first time, running a 47.79s and then bettering his 200m PB to a time of 21.25s in his heat and ultimately finished 4th in the final.
His performance earned him his first international assignment as he was chosen to be a part of the Nigerian contingent heading to the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia. Unfortunately, he, alongside his teammates, were disqualified in the 4x400m, putting an end to his outing.
The 2023 season witnessed Ogazi starting the year with a 200/400 double at the Nigerian U20 Championships on his home turf, Kaduna, smashing his PBs in the quest of winning the double – 200m (21.07s) and 400m (47.29s).
At the African U18 Championships in Ndola, Ogazi announced his presence to the continent by shattering his PB by over a second to win the title with a Championship Record of 46.01s. Few days later, he won the 200m title with a PB of 20.93s, his first sub-21s.
Shortly after his amazing performance at the Championships, Ogazi joined the sub-46 club when he stopped the timer in a new PB of 45.91s to win the men’s 400m at the 3rd AFN Golden League in Abuja. He then closed his remarkable season at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, amassing a total of 3 GOLD medals in Championships Records in the 200m, 400m, and mixed 4x100m relay.
The Nigerian made a remarkable entrance into the 2024 season as a freshman at the University of Alabama due to his incredible breakout year that earned him an NCAA scholarship, following in the footsteps of his idol, Jereem Richards with whom he connected via video call while at the Commonwealth Youth Games.
Ogazi’s individual 400m campaign started at the New Mexico Collegiate Classics where he ran his first ever indoor race, recording a PB of 46.30s, which he later bettered to a 46.27s. Sadly, his best time of 46.27s couldn’t earn him a spot in the 400m flat at the NCAA Indoor Championships but he was included as a part of Alabama’s 4x400m quartet that finished 5th.
As the outdoor season kicked off, Ogazi didn’t waste much time to get into the swing of things. At his first outdoor meet, he broke his PB by over five tenths of a second, blazing to a time of 45.35s to place 2nd in the Battle of Bayou Meet. He bettered his time to 45.29s two weeks later at the Tom Jones Memorial. Ogazi was permitted by his school to compete for Nigeria at the World Relays in The Bahamas where he participated in the mixed 4x400m relay. He played a monumental role in the team’s 4th place finish in a then African Record of 3:12.87, sealing their Olympic ticket.
Returning to the collegiate circuit, Ogazi did something astounding at the SEC Outdoor Championships. He blazed to a jaw dropping PB of 44.58s, which was the fastest time ever run by a Nigerian male quartermiler in 37 years, leapfrogging him to 2nd on the Nigerian all time list * and automatically punching his Olympic ticket. In addition, he became the first Nigerian quartermiler to run a sub-45s since Orukpe Erayokan in 2015. He won the NCAA East Regionals in a new PB of 44.53s to secure his Outdoor NCAA Championships ticket in the event he missed out indoors. He went on to place 2nd in a PB of 44.52s, earning a first team All-American honours.
Speaking about the exceptional season he’s had, Ogazi said, “Firstly, it’s all God because going to school, I didn’t plan to run as fast as I’m running right now. I’ll just give thanks to God and the credit to my coach, Coach Wiley; we’ve been putting in a lot of work though we still have more in the tank, but we’ve been putting in a lot of work lately.”
In preparation for the Olympics, Ogazi competed at his maiden African Championships where he claimed the men’s 400m Bronze medal in 45.47s. He also partook in a few meets in the European circuit, winning the Spitzen Leichtathletik Invitational and placing 3rd at the FBK Games. With Athletics commencing in August at the Olympics, many raised concerns that the Nigerian might suffer burnout after a long NCAA season but Ogazi proved to be an exception.
Whilst speaking in Paris about the long season he’s had, Ogazi said: “Ever since I’ve been a little boy, I’ve been dreaming of the Olympics, watching every single Olympics. So, it’s like a dream come true and I’m so so happy to be here.
“The reason for my consistency is God, I’ve just been running PRs. People would be like, ‘You’re burnt out’ and then I would go out and run a 45, but I kept trusting in God and doing my thing. I’m glad I made it this far.”
He opened his Olympic campaign with the mixed 4x400m where he and his teammates narrowly missed out on the final, ranking 9th overall. Undeterred by the setback, he switched focus to his individual event. He ended the 16-year jinx of Nigerian male quartermilers failing to make the semifinals, by racing to a new lifetime best of 44.50s in the heats. In the semi-finals, Ogazi grabbed one of the fastest non-automatic spots with a new PB of 44.41s to qualify for the final, becoming the first Nigerian to achieve this feat since Innocent Egbunike in Seoul 1988.
He said: “The heat was pretty much easy, but the semis was hard. I had to use everything I’ve got to make sure I’m in that final. And I made it, so I’m happy. I’ve been working towards this. This morning, I prayed to God, and I was like, “God, if you make me go through this finals, I’ll be the happiest man on earth”. I don’t mind being the last in the finals. I don’t care, but I made it to the finals. Out of everybody, I’m Top 8 in the world, so it’s something big for me and for my country”.
Ogazi eventually finished 7th in 44.73s ahead of reigning World Champion Michael Norman in one of the greatest 400m races in Olympic history.
Given the trajectory of Ogazi in the quartermile, it is safe to say that Nigeria has finally found a successor to the great Innocent Egbunike after more than three decades, and whose 400m record is the oldest Nigerian Track Record. By the look of things, the record is currently on borrowed time, and if things go according to plan, Ogazi is poised to become Nigeria’s first sub-44 runner in the near future.
*On paper, Emmanuel Bamidele is second on the Nigerian all-time list with his lifetime best of 44.24s set in 2023. However, the Nigerian-born athlete has been unable to complete his switch to Qatar and doesn’t compete for Nigeria internationally.
