Ogazi and Simms Drawn in Same Heat, Onojuvwevwo, Elo Joseph Eye Redemption in Women’s 400m

The SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Bryan-College Station, Texas, will witness one of the most anticipated clashes of the season as University of Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi and Georgia’s Jonathan Simms have been drawn in the same 400m heat.

The two fastest collegiate athletes over the distance will line up side by side in heat 11, with Ogazi starting just outside Simms in lane six.

Simms, a freshman sensation born in 2007, has already made waves on the collegiate circuit.

Earlier this month at the Clemson Invitational, he stormed to victory in 44.62 seconds, a facility record, personal best, and at the time the fastest mark in the world this year.

That performance ranks as the fourth-fastest indoor 400m in history, ahead of legends like Michael Johnson, Kirani James, and LaShawn Merritt, and stands as the second-best ever by a Georgia Bulldog, behind Christopher Morales-Williams.

Ogazi, meanwhile, brings proven pedigree and international experience. The Nigerian star ran 46.30 in his first individual indoor 400m race in 2024 but has since established himself as one of the event’s most formidable names.

He set a Nigerian U20 record of 44.41 outdoors, reached the Olympic final on debut, and earlier this month became only the second African athlete to break 45 seconds indoors with his 44.85 performance. Ogazi also made history as the second Nigerian since 1999 to be crowned NCAA 400m outdoor champion.

Both men will be chasing one of the eight fastest times to qualify for Saturday’s final, making their head-to-head a centerpiece of the championships.

On the women’s side, Ella Onojuvwevwo, who ran a lifetime best of 23.02 in the 200m on Thursday, will return to her specialty, the 400m.

The Louisiana State University athlete has not competed in the event this year but owns a lifetime best of 51.09. She will be hoping to reach the final after falling short in the 200m.

Joining her is University of Tennessee’s Esther Joseph, who also stumbled in the 200m but has posted a 51.36 lifetime best this season. Joseph’s mark ranks fourth among the competitors, behind Shaquena Foote (51.27), Zaya Akins (51.15), and Dejanea Oakley (51.15).