•Now 3rd fastest man in 2023
By Monica Iheakam
Former World U20 champion, Udodi Onwuzuruike has shattered Stanford University’s long -standing 200m records at the Pac-12 Championship.
Onwuzurike’ ran 19.91, dismantling his own school record of 20.08 and breaking the meet record of 20.00 set by former UCLA and Trinidad and Tobago sprinter, Ato Boldon in 1996.
The Nigerian sprint sensation became No. 3 in Pac-12 history behind only Boldon (19.80, 1996) and USC’s Andre DeGrasse (19.88, 2015), each an Olympic 200 medalist.
The sophomore is now the third fastest in the world this year and sits comfortably at number three on the Nigerian all-time list behind Divine Oduduru and Francis Obikwelu.
Onwuzurike had placed second in the 100 to Oregon’s Micah Williams by 0.01 earlier in the day, running into a headwind while clocking 10.23 at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. He got off to a strong start in the 200 and maintained his speed down the homestretch, pulling away from the field.
In his debut collegiate indoor 200-meter race in February 2023, Onwuzurike also shattered a Stanford record that stood for 26 years.
He ran 20.61 to win the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational on the 200-meter banked track at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center by 0.42 seconds. The school indoor record of 21.17, set by Jimmie Johnson in 1997, didn’t have a chance.
“It felt good,” Onwuzurike said. “I really put it together at the end,” told the Stanford University website on Sunday.