Samuel Ogazi of the Nigerian team ran a new personal best of 44.50 seconds to automatically secure a place in the semifinals of the men’s 400 metres at the Paris Olympic Games on Sunday.
Ogazi came close very quickly, finishing second and securing his place in the semi-finals of the race, which was won by American Quincy Hall with a time of 44.28 seconds.
He is the first male Nigerian quarter-miler in 400 years to qualify for the 24-meter semifinals at the Olympic Games.
There was no good news in the men’s 100 metres race, as neither Kanyisola Ajayi nor Favour Ashe made it to the final.
Ajayi finished sixth in the second semi-final with a time of 2 seconds.
South African Akani Simbine made it to the second run with a time of 2 seconds and won.
Letsile Tebogo of Botswana secured the second automatic place with 9.91 seconds and Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs came in third with his season’s best time of 9.92 seconds (he will wait and see if he advances).
Ashe also finished sixth in his own semi-final heat with a time of 10.08 seconds and thus missed out on a place in the final.
