Nigerian athletes Samuel Ogazi and Rhoda Adisa produced historic performances at the SEC Championships in the United States, setting new national records in the men’s 400m and women’s 800m events, respectively.
Ogazi delivered another stunning performance in the men’s 400m final, running a world-leading 43.95 seconds to successfully defend his SEC outdoor title.
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The time made the 19-year-old the first Nigerian athlete to break the 44-second barrier in the event and further improved the national record he had set barely two weeks earlier.
Earlier this month, Ogazi had clocked 44.02 seconds at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial in Athens, Georgia, breaking the long-standing Nigerian record of 44.17 seconds set by Innocent Egbunike in 1987.
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His latest run also moved him higher on the all-time collegiate rankings in the United States, where he now ranks among the fastest quarter-milers in NCAA history.
Ogazi, who represents the University of Alabama, has continued his rapid rise in global athletics after reaching the men’s 400m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Nigerian national champion is also a five-time All-American and holds multiple records at Alabama.
In the women’s 800m, Adisa produced the performance of her career by clocking 2:01.56 to break Nigeria’s national record.
Her time erased the previous mark of 2:01.89 set by Fatimoh Muhammed in 2007.
The achievement completed a remarkable rise for Adisa, who entered the 2025 season with a personal best of 2:06.21 before cutting almost five seconds from her time within one season.
Adisa’s journey into athletics has also drawn attention, as she previously competed in judo before switching to track and field.
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Her latest performance now places her among Nigeria’s leading middle-distance runners ahead of upcoming international competitions.
The SEC Championships have become an important stage for Nigerian athletes based in the United States, with several stars using the competition to announce themselves on the global scene.
For Ogazi and Adisa, the record-breaking performances further underline the growing strength of Nigerian athletics as the country builds towards future continental and global championships.
