Ogazi Sets World-Leading Mark, Breaks Egbunike’s Nigeria 400m Record at Torrin Lawrence Memorial

University of Alabama sprinter Samuel Ogazi delivered a historic performance at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial on Saturday, clocking a world-leading 44.02 seconds in the men’s 400 meters.

The time shattered the University of Alabama school record, established a new Nigerian national record, and now stands as the No. 6 all-time mark in NCAA history.

Despite the achievement, Ogazi narrowly missed the individual title, finishing second by just 0.005 seconds in a dramatic photo finish.

Ogazi has now broken the 4417 Nigerian record set by Innocent Egbunike in 1987 and his time is joint sixth with Botswana’s Baboloki Thebe.