Paris 2024 Olympics 400m finalist and reigning African U18 200m and 400m champion, U.S.-based Samuel Ogazi has been listed to make his first individual 400m debut this Saturday at the 2025 Tiger Track Classic at Auburn University in Alabama, USA.

Another U.S.-based Nigerian star, Favour Ofili, will compete in the second leg of the money-spinning Grand Slam Track, the global home of professional track competition launched last year by four-time Olympic Champion Michael Johnson.

Ogazi has competed in a couple of relay events, indoor and outdoor, this season and looks ready for the individual 400m event.

The 18-year-old had an incredible 2024, his first year in the NCAA, running all the way to the final of 400m event at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in Oregon.

Ogazi ran 44.52sec to finish second on his first attempt at becoming the second Nigerian after Clement Chukwu to win the NCAA outdoor title in the event. He would later build on his impressive first season in the American Collegiate circuit to make history as the first Nigerian since 1988 to make it to the final of the event at the Olympics.

All eyes will be on Ogazi today as he finally gets the chance to run in the 400m flat. Last year, he opened his collegiate outdoor 400m with 45.35sec.

According to SportsNow.ng.com, two other Nigerians will also compete at the Tiger Track Classic. They are Opeyemi Oke who will be running in the women’s 400m and Precious Nzeakor who has been listed to run in the 100m event.

Sprinter Favour Ofili will compete in the second leg of the money-spinning Grand Slam Track, the global home of professional track competition launched last year by four-time Olympic Champion Michael Johnson. The first season is currently running from April to June, 2025.

Ofili, who ran in the final of the 200m event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, was initially scheduled to compete at the opening leg of the competition in Kingston, Jamaica early this month but was scratched out a few days to the event.

On Friday, Ofili opened up her season at the Tom Jones Invitational in Florida, clocking a time of 22.34s (+0.2) over 200m to finish second.

She finished behind Olympic 100m Champion Julien Alfred, who ran a fast 21.88s to open up. Tamari Davis 🇺🇸 was 3rd in 22.37s.

At the money-spinning Grand Slam Track, the Nigerian 200m indoor and outdoor record holder is locked in to compete in the short sprint events (100m and 200m) where $100,000 top prize money is on offer.

Ofili will contest for the top prize with Olympic 200m champion, Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown, Daryll Neita, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Tamari Davis, Jacious Sears and Kayla White.

Thomas competed in the long sprint (200m and 400m) in Kingston but has stepped down to the short sprint where she stands out as the overwhelming favourite to win the top prize money.

Ofili will be making history as the first full-blooded Nigerian to compete in the Grand Slam Track while Nigeria-born Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain will still be competing in the long sprint events.