Ogazi runs 43.38, Ajayi clocks 9.72 as Nigerian athletes dominate NCAA Championships

Samuel Ogazi just ran one of the fastest 400m races in world history. The 20-year-old University of Alabama star clocked 43.38 seconds at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Friday — breaking the Nigerian record, the NCAA record, and moving to fourth on the all-time global list.

He didn't just win. He demolished his own personal best and successfully defended the NCAA 400m title he won last year. The time makes him the fastest man ever to run the distance in NCAA history.

Ogazi's progression has been relentless since his breakthrough at the Paris Olympics. He has now repeatedly lowered the national record, and Friday's performance cements him as one of the world's top quarter-milers at just 20.

In the men's 100m, Kayinsola Ajayi confirmed he's Nigeria's fastest man ever. The Auburn University sprinter stormed to victory in 9.72 seconds, though the wind reading of 2.2 m/s was slightly above the legal limit of 2.0 m/s. Still, the time shows the kind of form that has made him one of the most exciting sprinters on the planet.

Ajayi had already broken Olusoji Fasuba's long-standing Nigerian record of 9.85 seconds earlier this season, running a legal 9.84. His NCAA title makes him only the second Nigerian man to win the event after Divine Oduduru in 2019.

Israel Okon added a silver medal in the men's 200m despite battling injury. The Nigerian sprinter had suffered cramp during the 100m competition and was clearly not at full fitness for the 200m final. He pulled up during the race but still managed to cross the line in second place with a time of 19.99 seconds.

In the field events, Vincent Ugwoke threw a personal best of 63.89 metres in the discus to claim bronze. His decisive effort came in the fourth round, earning him his first-ever NCAA podium finish.

The performances come at a perfect time. With the national trials approaching and the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on the horizon, Nigerian athletics is showing serious depth. World record holder Tobi Amusan leads the established stars, but this new generation — Ogazi, Ajayi, Okon, Ugwoke — is producing world-class results on the biggest collegiate stage.