The controversy surrounding Team Nigeria’s participation at the World Athletics Championships (WAC) in Tokyo has intensified following accusations from 400m sprint star Samuel Ogazi.
Ogazi alleged that national team officials compelled him to compete despite being injured.
The athlete, a bronze medallist at the 2024 African Championships and competitor at the 2024 Olympic Games, expressed his frustrations after failing to advance past the first round in the men’s 400m event on Sunday.
Ogazi finished fifth in heat three, clocking a time of 45.97 seconds, a significant departure from his personal best of 44.41 seconds.
The heat was won by American runner Jacory Patterson, who finished in 43.90 seconds, followed by Jamaica’s Rusheen McDonald (44.38 seconds) and Italy’s Edoardo Scotti (44.45 seconds), who secured the automatic qualifying spots. Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi claimed the final fastest loser position with a time of 44.48 seconds, while Ogazi ranked 41st out of 48 competitors overall.
In a post-race interview, Ogazi revealed he had informed Nigerian officials of his unfitness to race but was instructed to proceed anyway.
“I told Team Nigeria officials I wasn’t prepared for this race because my hamstring was bothering me. They insisted that I should go ahead, so I did what I could, and that’s the outcome,” he stated.
The 2025 NCAA champion explained that he had initially felt ready before departing for Tokyo but suffered a setback during a light training session upon arrival.
“On Monday back home, I had a very good practice. I felt ready. I flew here on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, I went for a shakeout and felt a tweak in my hamstring. Everybody who knows me knows I don’t run with injuries.”
Ogazi further emphasised his desire to withdraw from the competition, but claimed he was not permitted to do so. “During the warm-up, I spoke with the doctor and told him, ‘I’m not ready.’ I know I’m not feeling healthy and strong yet. Right now I’m not fit,” he added.
The young athlete also stated that his recent health issues may have impacted his performance. “I was diagnosed with COVID-19 two weeks ago. I don’t know if that played a role, but I wasn’t in good shape,” he noted.
Despite the disappointment in Tokyo, he expressed optimism about his breakthrough season, having won the NCAA title earlier this year with a season-best time of 44.43 seconds, elevating him to 15th in the global rankings.
“I would say my season was impressive and superb because my main goal was to win the NCAA, and I achieved that. After that, I was just going with the flow,” he remarked.
Ogazi had entered the championships as one of Nigeria’s promising athletes as a bronze medallist at the African Championships in Douala and a finalist at the Paris Olympics.
He was expected to perform well in Tokyo, but his campaign ended prematurely after a slow start, recording the slowest reaction time of 0.310 in his race.
The men’s 400m event has been a missed opportunity for Nigeria, as fellow compatriot Chidi Okezie also failed to progress, finishing seventh in his heat with a time of 45.66 seconds, placing him 39th overall.
