Ezekiel Nathaniel, Nigeria's emerging 400-meter hurdles hero, has once again rewritten the nation's record books. He set a national record of 47.11 seconds in the Tokyo 2025 World Championships final, however he finished fourth, just missing out on a medal. After a successful appeal, American Rai Benjamin was restored and won gold in the race after first being penalized for a lane violation, temporarily placing Nathaniel in third place.
Abderrahman Samba of Qatar won bronze in 47.06 seconds, while Alison dos Santos of Brazil took silver in 46.84 seconds. Nathaniel's run was largely hailed as a breakthrough for Nigerian athletics, despite the fact that he finished barely outside the podium.
Nathaniel has put another feather to his hat even though he finished fourth. His 47.11-second run beat his previous national mark of 47.31 seconds, which was established earlier in 2025 at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Poland, and is currently the quickest time ever recorded by a Nigerian in the event.
Born in 2003, Nathaniel plays for Texas' Baylor University. At the Big 12 Conference meet in Lubbock, Texas, early in his international career, he ran 48.42 seconds as a freshman in 2022, breaking a decades-old Nigerian record set by Henry Amike (1987).
He has made quick development since then. Nathaniel broke his own record once again and set the third-fastest time in NCAA history when he won the 400-meter hurdles title in 47.49 seconds at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in June 2025.
In addition, he ran 47.86 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles semifinal in the 2025 NCAA playoffs, making him the first man in NCAA history to achieve a time under 48 seconds.
