After receiving a red card in the 2025 SEC Indoor Championship 400-meter dash, Ella Onojuvwevwo, a senior sprinter, came back to earn gold in 2026.
Onojuvwevwo was disqualified in last year’s SEC Indoor Track and Field Championship for a false start, unable to compete for a title in the event.
That devastating disqualification would be the motivation for Onojuvwevwo to come back to earn the first individual gold medal of her career.
Previous to the 400-meter dash finals this season, Onojuvwevwo clocked a 51.79 in her season debut in the event Friday. In the finals on Saturday, she came back stronger to clock an even faster time and make history in her career at LSU.
Running in the fifth lane of the second heat section, Onojuvwevwo sought to redeem herself in the women’s 400m final. The gun went off to start the race and she quickly hustled to take a huge lead in front of the other conference runners, not looking back.
She ran her fastest to pass Kentucky’s Hannah Douglas about 18 seconds into the race to lead the heat, nothing but determination displayed on her face. 30 seconds in, the gap between Onojuvwevwo and the other runners became larger.
It was simply her against the clock.
All she had to do was beat 51.21 in order to take first place in the event and beat Georgia’s Dejanea Oakley. Onojuvwevwo did exactly that with a .76 second gap between her and Arkansas’ Kaylyn Brown as they neared the finish line.
Onojuwevwo immediately got emotional as she crossed the line to clock a 50.96 second 400m time, earning the first place spot to take home a win.
“It’s been a long, long year and I’ve been working really hard,” Onojuvwevwo said to John Anderson in an interview with ESPN after the race. “Thanks to my coach for always being beside me. He’s like my backbone, I’m not going to lie.”
Onojuvwevwo became the second woman in LSU’s track program to clock a sub-51 second time in the dash. Doing so, she also set a new personal best for herself, and second-best in Tigers’ history, beating her previous best 51.06 seconds.
With this new best time, Onojuvwevwo ranked No. 6 in the world for her performance this indoor season. In the NCAA, she is ranked No. 2 in the 400m out of all collegiate sprinters.
Onojuvwevwo, from Unghelli, Nigeria, also made history as the second African woman to break the 51 second mark and is now ranked No. 2 in African indoor track and field history.
“I push myself every day in practice, hitting every rep,” Onojuvwevwo said. “This [400-meter dash] is just one rep and it’s easy, it’s not like the workouts I do everyday in practice. This is just one lap and I have to go all out.”
