After two consecutive semifinal heartbreaks at the World Championships, Ezekiel Nathaniel finally broke through, qualifying for his first-ever final with the fastest time overall in 47.47s. In doing so, he became the first Nigerian to reach the men’s 400m hurdles final since Henry Amike in 1987.
Nathaniel is also the first African to qualify for the final since Algeria’s Abdelmalik Lahoulou in 2019. The Nigerian, who surprisingly holds the African indoor 400m record, will now be aiming to push for a podium finish — a feat no African has achieved since the late Nicholas Bett of Kenya won the title in 2015.
