Paris 2024: Samuel Ogazi hits season best to seal 400m semi-final spot

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Team Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi qualified for the semi-finals of men’s 400m at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

He ran a new Personal Best (PB) of 44.50s to book an automatic spot in the semifinals.

Ogazi closed in very fast to finish second and earn a place in the semis.

With the race, he became the first Nigerian male quarter-miler to qualify for the 400m semifinals at the Olympics in 24 years.

United States of America (USA) Quincy Hall won the race in 44.28s.

Meanwhile, Noah Lyles is beaten for the second time at Paris 2024, but he will go through to the final.

For the second time this season, Jamaica’s Oblique does the lookover on Lyles to win heat 1 of the men’s 100m semifinal, winning in a new Personal Best of 9.81s. Lyles came in second in a time of 9.835.

Nigeria’s Favour Ashe started very well in the race, but he ended up finishing 6th in a time of 10.08s.

South Africa’s Akani Simbine is through to the final of men’s 100m, running a fantastic race to win heat 2 of the semis in a time of 9.87s.

Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo grabbed the second automatic spot in 9.91s, and the Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs came in third in an equal Season’s Best of 9.92s (he will wait to see if he would go through).

Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi finished sixth in that race in 10.16s.

Both Ashe and Kanyansola bowed out of the men’s 100m event at the Olympics.