Ezekiel Nathaniel produced a historic performance for Nigeria at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, setting a new national record of 47.11 seconds in the men’s 400m hurdles final.
The 21-year-old initially celebrated what seemed to be a bronze medal after American Rai Benjamin, the first to cross the line, was disqualified for a lane infringement.
However, following an appeal, Benjamin’s victory was reinstated, returning him to the gold medal position and relegating Nathaniel to fourth place.
Benjamin’s winning time of 46.54 seconds secured the title, while Brazil’s Alison dos Santos claimed silver in 46.84 seconds. Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba held on for bronze with 47.06 seconds, just 0.05 seconds ahead of Nathaniel.
Despite narrowly missing the podium, Nathaniel’s record-breaking run confirms his place among the world’s elite hurdlers and offers renewed hope for Nigeria’s pursuit of a global medal in the event.