LONDON — Former South Alabama track and field standout Ajoke Odumosu will run in the final of the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the London Olympics on Wednesday after winning her semifinal heat in a personal-best and Nigerian national record time.
Odumosu, competing for Nigeria, crossed the line first in her semifinal heat in 54.40 seconds. The time improved on her previous season-best of 54.75 and on the 54.93 she ran in the first round, where she finished third in her heat to advance.
Eight-Woman Final
Odumosu will line up against seven other hurdlers in Wednesday’s final with Olympic medals at stake. NBC’s coverage of the women’s 400-meter hurdles final is part of a rolling broadcast schedule beginning at 2:45 p.m. CDT.
Jaguar Career
A native of Lagos, Nigeria, Odumosu competed for South Alabama from 2004 to 2008. She won eight individual Sun Belt Conference titles, three each in the outdoor 400-meter dash and the 400-meter hurdles and two in the indoor 400 meters.
She was a three-time NCAA championships qualifier and the first female athlete in South Alabama history to earn All-America honors. She was named to the Sun Belt Conference All-Time Outdoor Team in 2006 and still holds school records in the indoor and outdoor 400-meter dash, the 400-meter hurdles and the indoor 4×400-meter relay.
Odumosu also competed in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Update
Odumosu finished eighth in the women’s 400-meter hurdles final on Wednesday, missing the medal stand. She leaves London with an improved national record after lowering Nigeria’s all-time mark to 54.40 seconds in the semifinals.
Odumosu ran for the Jaguars from 2004 to 2007 and was the first female athlete in program history to earn All-America honors.
