World Athletics Ultimate Championships: Onojuvwevwo Drawn with Paulino, Eid Naser in Brutal Budapest Semifinal
African indoor 400m record holder Ella Onojuvwevwo faces a daunting challenge in her bid to reach the final of the women’s 400m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The 21-year-old Nigerian has been drawn in the first semifinal alongside reigning world champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, former world champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce and England’s Yemi Mary John.
Only the first four athletes will qualify for the final, making Onojuvwevwo’s heat one of the most fiercely contested semifinals of the championships.
Onojuvwevwo enters the race with a season’s best of 49.47 seconds, which makes her the fourth-fastest athlete in the field this year. She is also one of only six athletes in her semifinal heat to have broken 50 seconds in 2026.
Paulino, the reigning world champion, heads the field with a world-leading 48.48 seconds this season and a personal best of 47.98.
Pryce is the second-fastest athlete in the semifinal this year at 49.27, while Eid Naser has also clocked 49.27. Mary John has a season’s best of 49.85.
Onojuvwevwo’s personal best of 49.47, meanwhile, underlines her ability to compete at the highest level, but she will need to reproduce her best form to secure one of the four available final places.
The Nigerian’s semifinal is scheduled for 7:38 p.m. on Friday, with the second semifinal set for 7:48 p.m.
The final will feature the top four finishers from each heat and will provide Onojuvwevwo with an opportunity to challenge for the $150,000 winner’s prize.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s mixed 4x100m relay team will provide the country’s first action at the championships, with the quartet hoping to set the tone for Team Nigeria’s medal campaign in Budapest.
