Nigerian quarter-miler Samuel Ogazi has become the only Nigerian to reach the final of the 2026 Bowerman Award after compatriots Kanyinsola Ajayi and Chinecherem Nnamdi fell short at the semifinal stage.
The University of Alabama star was on Tuesday named among the three finalists for collegiate track and field’s highest individual honour by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), capping a remarkable year for Nigerian athletes in the NCAA.
Ogazi headlines a historic Nigerian representation that saw three men – Ogazi, Ajayi and Nnamdi – reach the semifinal stage of the men’s award, while Texas Tech high jumper Temitope Adeshina was also a semifinalist in the women’s category before narrowly missing out on the final three.
The Kaduna-born athlete will battle New Mexico distance runner Habtom Samuel and Auburn hurdler Ja’Kobe Tharp for the prestigious award, with the winner set to be announced during the USTFCCCA Convention in Grapevine, Texas, on December 17.
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Ogazi’s selection follows one of the greatest collegiate 400m seasons in history.
The 21-year-old swept the NCAA Division I indoor and outdoor 400m titles while shattering Michael Norman’s long-standing collegiate record at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene.
His stunning 43.38-s run eclipsed Norman’s 43.61s mark set in 2018 and made him the fastest 400m runner in NCAA history.
The performance also marked the fourth time he lowered the Nigerian record in 2026 after previously clocking 44.02s, 43.95s and 43.82s, becoming the first collegian ever to produce multiple sub-44-s performances in the event.
Earlier in the season, Ogazi claimed the NCAA indoor title in 44.57s, equalling the recognised indoor world record and moving into a tie for third on the all-time world indoor list.
His remarkable campaign also saw him become the first male athlete in Alabama’s history to reach The Bowerman final.
Ogazi is now the fourth Nigerian to become a finalist for The Bowerman after Blessing Okagbare in 2010, Divine Oduduru in 2019 and Ezekiel Nathaniel, who reached the final three last year.
His emergence comes amid an outstanding season for Nigerian athletes in the American collegiate system.
Ajayi enjoyed a sensational sprint campaign for Auburn, winning both the NCAA indoor 60m and outdoor 100m titles. He equalled Christian Coleman’s collegiate record of 6.45s in the 60m before running a wind-legal 9.84s in the 100m to break the 20-year-old Nigerian record set by Olusoji Fasuba in 2006, and narrowly missing Coleman’s NCAA record of 9.82s. He later captured the NCAA outdoor title in a wind-assisted 9.72s, the second-fastest all-conditions performance in collegiate history.
Texas A&M’s Nnamdi also enjoyed a historic campaign, winning the NCAA javelin title after producing a season-best throw of 84.68m to climb to fourth on the all-time collegiate list.
On the women’s side, Adeshina completed an unbeaten collegiate season by sweeping the NCAA indoor and outdoor high jump titles. The Nigerian cleared 1.97m indoors to successfully defend her national title before winning the outdoor crown with a leap of 1.96m, earning a place among The Bowerman women’s semifinalists.
Ogazi, however, is the only Nigerian still in contention for the award.
He faces formidable competition from Habtom Samuel, who completed an unbeaten collegiate season by winning all 13 races against NCAA opposition. The New Mexico standout claimed both the 5,000m and 10,000m titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, lowered his own collegiate 5,000m record to 12:57.22 and added the NCAA indoor 5,000m title.
Tharp, meanwhile, produced one of the greatest hurdling seasons in history. The Auburn star broke Aries Merritt’s world record in the 110m hurdles with a stunning 12.75s in the NCAA Outdoor Championships semifinals before returning to win the national title in 12.90s. Earlier in the year, he also broke Grant Holloway’s collegiate record in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.32s indoors.
Collectively, the three finalists combined for seven NCAA titles, four collegiate records and 13 all-time top-10 performances during the 2026 indoor and outdoor seasons.
Voting for The Bowerman opened on Tuesday and will include ballots from The Bowerman Advisory Board, selected media members, collegiate administrators, previous winners, USTFCCCA members and the public.
For Ogazi, the nomination is another milestone in a breakthrough year that has already seen him rewrite the NCAA and Nigerian record books before announcing his decision to turn professional. He now stands one step away from becoming the first Nigerian to win collegiate track and field’s most prestigious individual honour.
