August 05, (THEWILL) – Nigerian athletes have ended long droughts at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Ezekiel Nathaniel became the first Nigerian in 12 years to reach the semi-finals of the men’s 400m event, while Samuel Ogazi broke a 24-year record by advancing to the semi-finals in the men’s 400m.
Nathaniel qualified for the semi-finals by finishing second in heat 4 with a time of 48.32 seconds, earning automatic qualification. Ogazi ran a personal best of 44.50 seconds in the men’s 400m event, finishing second behind the USA’s Quincy Hall.
Other Nigerian athletes are also making their mark in Paris. Favour Ofili is set to compete in the women’s 200m semi-finals, and Udodi Onwuzurike will participate in round 1, heat 2 of the men’s 200m event. In wrestling, Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist, Blessing Oborodudu, defeated Canadian, Linda Morais, to progress to the quarterfinals of the women’s 68kg event.
Diana-Mary Nsan, media aide to the Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, released a statement on Monday, highlighting these achievements. The statement underscored the importance of these performances for Nigerian athletics.
These results suggest a strong showing for Nigerian athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the potential for further success in upcoming events. The performances of Nathaniel, Ogazi and Oborodudu, have already brought attention to Nigeria’s athletic programme on the global stage.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
