Nigeria’s finest collegiate athletes stormed out of the blocks on the opening day of the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with Ezekiel Nathaniel and Kayinsola Ajayi delivering record-breaking performances that put their names in history books.
The duo rose above a star-studded field of global collegiate talent at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon to post the most outstanding Nigerian results on day one of the four-day championship.
Competing in the men’s 400m hurdles semifinal, Nathaniel produced a scintillating run of 47.86 seconds, setting a new Nigerian national record and personal best.
The time also places him firmly at the top of the NCAA performance list for 2025 as he left the field trailing, with Johnny Brackins finishing a distant second in 50.14s.
This marks the third time this year that Nathaniel has dipped under 48 seconds in the event, after previous national record performances of 47.90s and 47.89s.
His technical mastery over the barriers was rewarded with his inclusion on the prestigious Bowerman Watch List, which was unveiled hours before the meet, confirming his elite status among the top ten male athletes in American collegiate track and field.
However, the only blemish in Nathaniel’s night came in the men’s 4x400m relay, where Baylor’s quartet, also featuring Tyler Honeyman, Abbas Ali and Aren Spencer, finished last in their heat with 3:09.63s, missing out on the final.
Meanwhile, Auburn University’s Kayinsola Ajayi stunned the crowd with a jaw-dropping personal best of 9.92s to win his men’s 100m semifinal.
The performance made him the only sprinter across all heats to break the 10-second barrier and cemented his place in the final as the top seed.
Ajayi’s electric form this season has seen him clock three sub-10 times in as many months, placing him as the fourth-fastest Nigerian in history behind Olusoji Fasuba (9.85s), Divine Oduduru (9.86s) and Godson Brume (9.90s).
His dominance was matched by teammate and compatriot, Israel Okon, who ran a personal best-equalling 10.07s to finish second in his semifinal, earning another spot for Nigerian in the final.
Ajayi returned to the track for the men’s 4x100m relay and again delivered in grand fashion. Anchoring Auburn’s sprint quartet, he helped the defending champions to a staggering time of 37.97s, which not only secured top spot overall in the semifinals but also tied the NCAA Championship meet record and became the third-fastest time in collegiate history.
The team of Azeem Fahmi, Ajayi, Dario Matau and Makanakaishe Charamba now eye an NCAA title defence, and potentially, the all-time collegiate record in Friday’s final.
In contrast, John Clifford of Cal State Fullerton, the other Nigerian in the event, saw his team finish sixth in their heat with 39.48s and miss out on the final.
Another impressive Nigerian performance came from Samuel Ogazi of the University of Alabama, who looked effortless as he cruised to victory in the men’s 400m semifinal, clocking 44.77s, the fastest across all three heats.
Ogazi displayed a strong back-end finish to open a commanding gap on the field, confirming his status as one of the event favourites.
Although Ogazi remains a strong individual contender, he also anchored Alabama’s 4x400m relay team, along with Donald Chiyangwa, Peter Diebold and Oussama El Bouchayby, to a time of 3:03.58s, grabbing a place in the final.
Penn State’s James Onwuka also contributed to relay success, with his team clocking 3:03.39s in the men’s 4x400m semis to reach the final.
However, Edidiong Udo’s Ohio State team, despite posting a respectable 3:04.61s, fell short of qualification. Udo also suffered disappointment in the individual 400m, where he was disqualified for lane infringement.
In the men’s long jump final, Charles Godfred of the University of Minnesota narrowly missed out on a podium finish, placing fourth with a leap of 7.91m.
It was nonetheless an improvement from last season, when he finished sixth. The event was won by Florida’s Malcolm Clemons, who jumped 8.04m.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
