- 8/7/23: NCAA 200m champion Udodi Onwuzurike on leading the Nigerian sprint revolution: 'I can do bigger things' -- Nick McCarvel (Olympics.com)
- 1/13/21: From underdog to champion in Nairobi, Onwuzurike sets his sights on the big stage -- Yemi Olus (WorldAthletics.org)
- 9/8/21: Behind Udodi Onwuzurike's Road To Success At World U20s -- Cory Mull (MileSplit)
- 9/6/21: Tebogo and Onwuzurike set the pace for Africa's new generation of sprinters -- Yemi Olus (WorldAthletics.org)
Career Accolades
- NCAA outdoor 200 champion (2023)
- Five-time All-American
- Pac-12 Men's Track Athlete of the Year (2023)
- Pac-12 200 champion (2023)
- Academic All-American (2023)
- Pac-12 200 record-holder
- Commonwealth Games 4x100 bronze medalist (2022)
- World under-20 200 champion (2021)
- Stanford record-holder: indoor 60, 200; outdoor 100, 200, 4x100
- Has broken or tied Stanford records 18 times
- Stanford Athletics Board Block 'S' Outstanding Sophomore Award
- USTFCCCA All-Academic (2023)
- Academic All-District (2023)
- Two-time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (winter 2023, spring 2023)
Personal Bests (thru 2023 outdoors)
- 100: 9.92
- 200: 19.76
- 60: 6.59i
- 400: 48.57
As a Sophomore (2023)
Outdoors
- NCAA 200 champion
- Two-time first-team All-American
- Sixth in NCAA 100
- Scored 13 points at NCAA Championships to help Stanford to third place as a team
- 19.76 at the NCAA Championships prelims broke Pac-12 and Stanford records
- The time was No. 3 collegiate history, No. 2 in Nigeria, and No. 5 in Africa
- Pac-12 Men's Track Athlete of the Year
- Pac-12 200 champion
- Pac-12 100 runner-up
- Ran 9.92 at NCAA West Prelims, a PB and breaking his own school record, and first-time under 10 seconds
- The time was the 13th-fastest in collegiate history
- Tied for fourth on Nigeria's all-time 100 list and 11th in Africa
- Anchored 4x100 to school record 39.56 at NCAA West Prelims
- The time broke a school record of 39.61c that had stood since 1965
- Won the 100 and 200 at the Stanford Invitational
- Won the elite invitational 200 at the Mt. SAC Relays
- Stanford Athletics Board Block 'S' Outstanding Sophomore Award
- Second-team Academic All-American
- USTFCCCA All-Academic
- Academic All-District
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
Indoors
- First-team All-American
- Fifth in the 200 at the NCAA Indoor Championships
- Set indoor PB of 20.17 at NCAA prelims
- The time was the seventh-fastest in collegiate history
- Tied or broke Stanford 60 record three times
- Broke Stanford indoor 200 record three times
- Won the 200 at the Scarlet & White Invitational and Last Chance Indoor Qualifier
- His season-opening 200 of 20.61 broke a 26-year-old Stanford record
- Won the 60 at the Ken Shannon Invitational
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
As a Freshman (2022)
Outdoors
- First-team All-American in the 200
- Second-team All-American in the 100
- Third in the 200 final and 11th in the 100 at NCAA Outdoors
- Led off Nigeria's bronze-medal winning 4x100 relay at Commonwealth Games
- Sixth in Commonwealth Games 200 final
- Reached 200 semifinals, placing sixth in his heat, at World Championships
- Broke Stanford's 100 record three times and the school 200 record twice
- First Stanford male to reach the NCAA 200 final since 1963
- First Stanford male to advance to the NCAA Championships in the 100 and 200 since 1963
- First Stanford male to reach the NCAA Championships in the 100 since 2008
- In the semifinals, set Stanford NCAA Championships records for the 100 (10.21) and 200 (20.15)
- Top qualifier out of the NCAA West Prelims in the 200 (20.08) and second in the 100 (10.03), setting school records in both
- Twice broke the John McDonnell Field facility record at Arkansas in the 200, running 20.13 and 20.08 at the NCAA West Prelims
- Pac-12 runner-up in the 100 and 200
- Broke Pro Football Hall of Famer James Lofton's school 200 record at the Pac-12 Championships, running 20.09 to Lofton's 20.33 in 1978
- Broke the Big Meet (dual with Cal) record in the 100 (10.20) and was a triple winner (100, 200, 4x100)
- Twice broke Stanford, Stanford frosh, and Stanford Invitational records in his collegiate 100 debut, running 10.14 in the prelims, and 10.07 in the final
- Won the 200 at the Stanford Invite in 20.38, the fastest Stanford time in 44 years, and a school frosh record
- Set Cardinal Classic record in the 200 (21.04) in his collegiate outdoor debut
- Pac-12 Men's Track Athlete of the Week (April 5)
- Stanford Athletics Board Block 'S' Outstanding Freshman
- USTFCCCA All-Academic
Indoors
- Broke the school 60 record in his collegiate debut, running 6.67 to win the UW Indoor Preview final, after a school frosh record 6.78 in the prelims
- Fifth in the Pac-12 Invite in the 60 (6.76)
International
- Competed for Nigeria at the 2022 World Outdoor Championships in Eugene in the 100, 200, and 4x100
- Advanced to the World semifinals, placing sixth in his heat and 14th overall
- Competed in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 200 and 4x100
- Placed sixth in the Commonwealth 200 (20.76) and led off Nigeria's bronze-medal winning 4x100 (38.91)
- Representing Nigeria, won the 2021 World Under-20 Championships in the 200 in Nairobi, Kenya
- His time of 20.21 in the final set a Nigerian U20 record (20.13w in semifinals)
Prior to Stanford
- Became the first Stanford-affiliated male and second person overall to win a world U20 track title
- Won the 2021 World Under-20 Championships in the 200 in Nairobi, Kenya
- His time of 20.21 in the final set a Nigerian U20 record
- In the semifinals, ran 20.13, aided by a 2.3 mps wind
- Won the 100 and 200 titles at the 2021 Michigan Division I championships
- Won the 2021 Brooks PR Invitational 100 in a personal best 10.23
- The time of 10.23 broke his own Michigan state high school record
Personal
- Coached by his father, Chris Owuzurike, and Deron Early
- Brother of former Boston University sprinter, Chiebuka Onwuzurike
Career Results
Year | Season (Meets) | Event | Season Best | Conf. | Region | NCAA |
2023 | Outdoors (7) | 100 | 9.92 | 2 (10.23) | 1 (9.92) | 6 (9.98) |
200 | 19.76 | 1 (19.91) | 3 (20.07) | 1 (19.84) | ||
400 | 48.57 | -- | -- | -- | ||
4x100 | 39.56 | 7 (39.76) | 18 (39.56) | -- | ||
Indoors (6) | 60 | 6.59 | -- | -- | -- | |
200 | 20.17 | -- | -- | 5 (20.36) | ||
4x400 | 3:12.32 | -- | -- | -- | ||
2022 | Outdoors (10) | 100 | 10.03 | 2 (10.17) | 2 (10.03) | 11 (10.21) |
200 | 20.08 | 2 (20.09) | 1 (20.08) | 3 (20.15) | ||
4x100 | 39.75 | 6 (40.07) | 19 (40.15) | -- | ||
Indoors (3) | 60 | 6.67 | -- | -- | -- | |
4x400 | 3:22.07 | -- | -- | -- |