Nigeria’s Ella Onojuvwevwo has paid tribute to her coach after securing a dramatic redemption victory in the women’s 400m at the SEC Indoor Championships, one year after a painful disqualification denied her the opportunity to contest the title, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The 20-year-old LSU athlete produced a lifetime best of 50.96s to win her first individual conference crown, delivering one of the standout performances of the collegiate indoor season.
Her winning time made her only the second African woman in history to break 51 seconds indoors and moved her to second on the continent’s all-time list over the distance.
The triumph is a significant turnaround from the 2025 edition of the championships, when Onojuvwevwo was shown a red card for a false start in the 400m final and was unable to compete further in the event.
That moment, widely referenced in post-race coverage this year, had lingered as a defining setback in her collegiate career.
Speaking to ESPN after her victory, Onojuvwevwo reflected on the emotional and physical demands of the past year, describing the journey back to the starting blocks as arduous and testing.
She explained that the 12 months since her disqualification had been marked by intense work and resilience, underpinned by the steady support of her coach
“It’s a rollercaster. It’s been a long long here and I’ve been working really hard,” she said.
“Thanks to my coach who always been being beside me. he’s like my backbone. I’m not going to lie.”
The Nigerian athlete emphasised that her race execution was shaped by punishing training sessions that dwarfed the demands of competition. She noted that the one-lap indoor race felt modest compared to the longer, repeated efforts she completes in practice.
“I push myself every day in practice, hitting every prep. I want to say this is just one rep and it is easy, It is not like the workout I do everyday in practice. Everyday the 450, the 500. This is jus one lap and I just have to go all out Yeah,” she added.
Her performance in the final underlined that preparation. Running in just her second 400m outing of the season, Onojuvwevwo controlled the race from the outset and powered away down the home straight to seal victory in 50.96s.
Georgia’s Dejanea Oakley, who clocked 51.21s in a separate section, finished second overall, while Hannah Douglas placed third in 51.41s.
By: Olamide Abe
