Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi and Ella Onojuvwevwo both won the 400m races at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday. They showed great talent on the international stage.
Ogazi ran his first race as a professional and won the men’s 400m in 44.57 seconds. He beat Jamaica’s Antonio Watson, who came second in 44.70 seconds. Grenada’s Olympic champion, Kirani James, took third in 45.04 seconds. The 20-year-old impressed many as he held off two experienced athletes in a strong final. His time puts him among the best in the event this season and shows he has a bright future in major competitions.
In the women’s 400m, Onojuvwevwo finished strongly to win in a season-best time of 50.38 seconds. She has been performing well on the international scene. A powerful late push helped her beat the competition. American athlete Sanaria Butler was second in 50.69 seconds, and her fellow countrywoman, Alexis Holmes, came third in 50.94 seconds. Onojuvwevwo’s win adds to Nigeria’s strong showing at the meet, showing the country’s rising strength in the 400m as international competitions approach.
The World Athletics Silver Continental Tour event marked Ogazi’s first race since he became a professional. He made this decision after an impressive college career at the University of Alabama. He faced a tough field that included American rising star Quincy Wilson and other talented athletes like Delano Kennedy and Jevon O’Bryant.
Ogazi finished his NCAA career after three great years in the United States. He is now one of the best 400m runners in college history. His last season was particularly remarkable. He won the NCAA Outdoor Championships two weeks ago in a record time of 43.38 seconds, breaking the NCAA record and moving to fourth on the all-time world list.
Earlier this year, he also won the NCAA Indoor 400m title in an African indoor record of 44.57 seconds. This made him the fourth-fastest indoor runner ever at that time. He also swept the 2026 SEC indoor and outdoor 400m titles and defended his NCAA outdoor title from 2025, after winning silver in 2024.
Throughout his college career, Ogazi broke the Nigerian 400m record four times. He improved it from 44.02 seconds to 43.95 seconds, then to 43.82 seconds, before his amazing 43.38 seconds put him in serious medal contention globally.
Several other Nigerian athletes also competed in Memphis. National high jump champion Temitope Adeshina took part in the women’s high jump. Rosemary Chukwuma ran in the women’s 100m, while Favour Ofili competed in the 200m. The athletes are gearing up for major championships later this season.
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