Ogazi, Onojuvwevwo, Udo make 400m finals

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Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo and Edidiong Udo have qualified for the men’s and women’s 400m finals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

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Ogazi, the 2026 world leader and reigning NCAA champion, underlined his medal credentials by winning the first men’s semi-final on Thursday in 44.52 seconds.

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Udo also secured his place in the final after producing a strong performance in the third semi-final, running 45.55 seconds to claim second place.

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The Nigerian initially finished third behind Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards and Jamaica’s Antonio Watson, but Watson was disqualified, allowing Udo to move into the automatic qualification spot.

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Udo’s 45.55 seconds would have also been enough to earn him one of the two fastest non-automatic qualifying spots across the three semi-finals.

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In the women’s event, Onojuvwevwo continued her impressive season by winning her semi-final in 51.47 seconds to comfortably secure automatic qualification for the final.

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The Nigerian ran the second-fastest time across the three semi-finals, behind Jamaica’s Dejanea Oakley, who clocked 51.18 seconds in the second semi-final.

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Onojuvwevwo, who holds the African indoor 400m record, came into the Games as one of Nigeria’s strongest medal hopefuls following an outstanding season that has included a personal best of 49.47 seconds.

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Defending champion Sada Williams of Barbados also advanced to the final after running 51.85 seconds.

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British athlete of Nigerian descent, Yemi John, who won the first semi-final, will also be among the leading contenders for gold in Saturday’s final.

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Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Esther Joseph and Patience Okon-George failed to qualify for the women’s 400m final but will hope to contribute to the country’s medal hopes in the relay.

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The qualification of the three Nigerians gives Team Nigeria a strong presence in both 400m finals as the country’s athletics contingent continues its medal push in Glasgow.

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The men’s and women’s 400m finals will be held on Saturday at 12 noon and 12:20 pm, respectively.

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