At the University of Kentucky’s Outdoor Track and Field Facility in Lexington, 19-year-old quarter-miler Samuel Ogazi of the University of Alabama lived up to his Olympic pedigree, storming to a convincing win in his men’s 400m heat.
The 2024 Paris Olympic finalist crossed the line in 45.34 seconds, comfortably ahead of decathlete Peyton Bair (46.08s) and Devan Crumpton (46.23s), booking his place in Saturday’s final.
Onojuvwevwo and Joseph Secure Spots in Women’s 400m Final
In the women’s 400m, Ella Onojuvwevwo (LSU) clocked 51.24s to finish a solid second in her heat, advancing to the final alongside heat winner Dejanea Oakley of Georgia.
Fellow Nigerian Esther Elo Joseph (52.42s) and Deborah Oke(52.57s) narrowly missed automatic qualification but remain in contention via time qualifiers.
Godbless Dominates Both 200m and 100m Heats for LSU
The lightning-quick Tima Godbless continued her red-hot form, powering to victory in her women’s 200m heat in 22.69s, well clear of runner-up Sharmelle Holmes (22.95s).
Godbless then turned her attention to the 100m, winning her heat in 11.29s, ahead of Anthaya Charlton (11.36s) and Faith Okwose (11.44s).
Precious Nzeakor and Ramat Jimoh Shine in Sprints and 800m Semis
Precious Nzeakor showed blistering speed in her 200m heat, posting 22.85s to finish third behind Kenondra Davis (22.58s) and Camryn Dickson (22.68s).
Ramat Jimoh secured a spot in the women’s 800m final, clocking 2:04.80s for second place in her semi-final, just behind Michaela Rose (2:03.62s).
Nigerian Men Heat Up the 100m: Ajayi, Okon & Nicholas Through to Final
Kanyisola Ajayi led wire-to-wire in his 100m heat, stopping the clock at 10.15s, ahead of Jaden Wiley (10.26s) and Azeem Fahmi (10.35s).
In a separate heat, Sunday Israel Okon (10.12s) and Fakorede Nicholas (10.23s) claimed first and second, with Micah Larry (10.24s) completing the Nigerian-heavy podium.
