Ella, Ogazi and other Nigerian individual 400m runners have been rolling back the years including breaking a 9-year jinx.
Previously, 400m was an event with world-class Nigerians dominating Africa and the world with the likes of Innocent Egbunike, Sunday Bada, Jude Monye, Clement Chukwu, and the rest in the male section.
Multiple medalists Falilat Ogunkoya, Fatima Yusuf, and others dominated the women’s field.
![](https://sportsintel.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image_2024-05-19_065532805.png)
2024 seems to be the year of revival for 400m in Nigeria with current and youngsters dropping times reminiscent of old times.
Ella, Ogazi And The Future of 400m In Nigeria
The duo of Chidi Okezie and Samuel Ogazi in the men’s 400m while Ella Onojuvwevwo, Esther Joseph, and returning Omolola Ogunmakinju are providing the needed challenge to veteran Patience Okon-George who has been the solitary sparkle for the event.
The first glimpse of a revival was at the African Games in Ghana where Chidi Okezie won the men’s 400m, an achievement that last occurred in 1987.
Also, Nigeria dominated in the 4X400m relays for men, women, and mixed while Esther Joseph won silver in the women’s.
Team Nigeria earned a 4th place finish in the mixed 4x400m by the quartet of Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevo, Chidi Okezie and Esther Joseph in a new Area Record of 3:12.87s at the world relays. They surpass the one set by them at the African Games earlier this year.
![Ella, Ogazi, Chidi Okezie Stars in the 4X400m Mixed Relay](https://sportsintel.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Mixed-4X400m.jpeg)
Ella Onojuvwevwo And The Women 400m Stars
2015 was the last time any Nigerian male and female quarter-miller have gone sub 45 and 51 respectively.
Fast forward to 2024, and the jinx has finally been broken by quartermillers who are still teenagers.
Ella Onojuvwevwo stormed to a massive Personal Best (PB) of 50.57s in the women’s 400m at the SEC Outdoor Championships in Florida, surpassing the Olympic standard of 51.00s to make the final!
![Ella, Ogazi are the new faces of 400m in Nigeria](https://sportsintel.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image_2024-05-19_064225322.png)
With this performance, she becomes the first Nigerian woman since 2015 to break 51 seconds in the event, when Patience Okon-George ran 50.76s.
The last time a Nigerian woman ran this fast was in 2001 when Falilat Ogunkoya ran 50.50s.
Subsequently, Ella Onojuvwevwo went sub-51 again with 50.86 seconds to finish 8th in the 400m for LSU.
Samuel Ogazi Following Chidi Okezie’s Strides
The men’s 400ms has been in the doldrums for years without any athlete close to taking over.
Chidi Okezie changed all that after winning gold at the African Games in Ghana, in 2024.
![](https://sportsintel.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image_2024-05-18_232303603.png)
After winning four Bronze medals at the Continental stage, dating back to Durban in 2016 at the African Athletics Championships, Okezie finally hits Gold.
Okezie’s win makes him the first Nigerian man to win this title since the great Innocent Egbunike in 1987.
Following Okezie is Samuel Ogazi who has enormously improved from his 47s to running a 44s within two years.
![](https://sportsintel.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image_2024-05-19_064053785.png)
Ogazi’s rise took him through the African U20s to the Commonwealth Youth Games where he won gold over 200 metres and 400 metres at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
In 2024, Samuel took second-place in the 400 metres at SEC Champs with a personal record of 44.58s. He breaks his School record, National U20 record and a Paris Olympic qualifying ticket.
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