Ajayi and Ogazi Make NCAA History with Sprint Titles, Onojuvwevwo Grabs Bronze
Kanyinsola Ajayi and Samuel Ogazi produced performances of historic proportions at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, storming to victory in the men’s 60m and 400m finals in record-breaking fashion.
Ajayi, 21, entered the 60m as the pre-race favourite and lived up to expectations, equaling his personal best of 6.45 seconds while setting both a meet and championship record.
In doing so, he became the first Nigerian man to win the NCAA indoor 60m crown, and only the second Nigerian overall to claim an NCAA sprint title, following Blessing Okagbare’s triumph in the women’s 60m back in 2010.
His compatriot Israel Okon, who had impressed in the preliminaries with a 6.48 run, could not replicate that form in the final, finishing fifth with 6.57.
Ogazi, just 19, added another chapter to Nigerian athletics history by becoming the first Nigerian student-athlete, male or female, to win the NCAA indoor 400m title.
He stormed home in a lifetime best of 44.57 seconds, setting a new African record in the process. Already an Olympic finalist in Paris 2024, Ogazi has now become the first Nigerian man to win both NCAA indoor and outdoor titles, having claimed the outdoor crown last season.
He could yet make further history by completing the double in the same year when the outdoor championships take place in June.
Meanwhile, Ella Onojuvwevwo, who had set a stunning African record of 50.28 seconds in the preliminaries, was unable to reproduce that form in the women’s 400m final. She finished third in 50.76, missing out on the chance to add her name to the record books.
