Elo Joseph Smashes 400m Indoor PB with 51.36s, Becomes Sixth Nigerian Under 52s
Esther Elo Joseph carved her name into Nigerian athletics history on Friday at the Bob Pollock Invitational in Clemson, South Carolina.
The 22-year-old stormed to victory in the first heat of the women’s 400m indoor, clocking a personal best of 51.36 seconds — a 2026 national lead and the fastest time across all heats.
Her performance makes her only the sixth Nigerian woman ever to break the 52-second barrier indoors, and the eighth African to achieve the feat. Joseph’s time ranks fifth all-time among Africans and also fifth among Nigerians, underscoring the magnitude of her breakthrough.
This wasn’t Joseph’s first warning shot. Earlier, she had stunned with a 36.41s run in the 300m, placing her second in Nigeria behind Favour Ofili (35.99) and third in Africa behind Ofili and Botswana’s Amantle Montsho (36.33).
With her latest 400m mark, expectations are soaring that Joseph could soon become the next Nigerian woman to dip under 51 seconds indoors, following in the footsteps of Charity Opara.
Outdoors, she is seen as a strong candidate to join the elite trio of Falilat Ogunkoya, Fatimah Yusuf, and Opara in breaking the 50-second barrier.
