Ogazi, Onojuvwevwo Lead Nigeria’s 400m Charge

Five Nigerian quarter-milers will compete in the men’s and women’s 400 metres semi-finals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Thursday, with Samuel Ogazi and Ella Onojuvwevwo leading the country’s quest for medals.

Nigeria has two representatives in the men’s event and three in the women’s competition. While Ogazi and Onojuvwevwo secured automatic qualification for the semi-finals based on their world rankings, Patience Okon-George, Esther Joseph and Eddidiong Udo advanced through the qualifying heats on Tuesday.

In the men’s category, Udo impressed on his international 400m debut for Nigeria by winning Heat One in 45.73 seconds to earn automatic qualification.

The youngster has been drawn in lane eight for the third semi-final, while Ogazi will compete from lane five in the opening semi-final.

In the women’s event, experienced campaigner Okon-George qualified automatically after finishing fourth in her heat with a time of 53.27 seconds.

She will race from lane three in the first semi-final alongside compatriot Joseph, who secured qualification by placing third in her heat in 52.82 seconds and will start from lane four.

Onojuvwevwo, regarded as one of Nigeria’s strongest medal prospects in the event, has been drawn in lane seven for the third semi-final as she aims to book a place in the final.

With five athletes progressing to the semi-finals across both events, Team Nigeria has one of the strongest representations in the 400m competition.

Athletics officials remain optimistic that the country can secure multiple places in the finals as the Commonwealth Games athletics programme continues in Glasgow.

The performances of Ogazi, Onojuvwevwo and their teammates will be closely watched as Nigeria seeks to add to its medal tally and maintain its strong tradition in the quarter-mile events at major international championships.