Ezekiel Nathaniel switched in and out of a podium finish after smashing the Nigerian men’s 400m hurdles record today at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships.
He clocked 47.11secs to finish 4th in the final but his effort was upgraded to bronze medal following disqualification of the American winner Rai Benjamin.
The American’s sins were for displacing a hurdle and impacting another athlete during the event.
However, moments later, Benjamin was re-awarded gold, which dropped Ezekiel out of the medals’ bracket.
Despite the setback, Ezekiel’s performance was a commendable one as he was only 0.05secs outside a podium placement, coming close to becoming the first Nigerian man to win a World Championship medal since Francis Obikwelu in 1999.
Nathaniel’s outing marks Nigeria’s last appearance in the championships which come to a close on Sunday 21 September 2025 at Japan National Stadium.
Reporting By Kelechi Bernard