Day 5 brought more excitement for Team Nigeria, with two seeded athletes advancing to the next stage.
Ezekiel Nathaniel made history by qualifying for the Men’s 400m Hurdles final. Starting in lane 8, the Nigerian Record Holder was in third place at the 150m mark but surged ahead after the final hurdle to take the lead. He clocked 47.47s, leading all qualifiers in the semifinal round.
Nathaniel became the first Nigerian man since 1987 (Henry Amike) to make the World Championships 400mH final. He finished ahead of Ismail Abakar (47.61s) and Caleb Dean (47.85s, PB).
In the final on Day 7, Nathaniel will face top contenders, especially the Big 3: Norway’s Karsten Warholm, USA’s Rai Benjamin, and Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos.
Udodi Onwuzurike opened his 200m campaign with a smooth 20.27s run, finishing 2nd in his heat. The 22-year-old, competing in his second World Championships, secured another World Championship semifinal berth, finishing behind Kenny Bednarek, who won in 19.98s.
South Africa’s Sinesipho Damile redeemed himself after a false start, placing third in a photo finish with Onwuzurike. In tomorrow’s semifinals, Onwuzurike will compete in Heat 3, facing tough competition from USA’s Noah Lyles, South Africa’s Damile, and Britain’s Zharnel Hughes.
