Two days ago, Ezekiel Nathaniel made history as the first Nigerian man to reach the 400mH World Championship final since 1987, a feat first achieved by Henry Amike. In the final of the event, he delivered the performance of his life!
The race started out very fast, especially from all the top contenders. Nathaniel powered out of the blocks, and as he approached the bend, he started to build momentum, positioning himself for a shot at the podium. But in a strong field, USA’s Rai Benjamin, despite stumbling on the last hurdle, clinched the GOLD with a Season’s Best (SB) of 46.52s. Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos secured the Silver in 46.84s, while Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba claimed the Bronze with 47.06s (SB).
Nathaniel finished just 0.05s behind Samba, clocking 47.11s to set a new National Record (NR). He narrowly missed a medal, finishing 4th, the highest placement by a Nigerian man at the World Championships since 1999. Benjamin’s performance also marked his achievement as the first man to win a medal in the last four World Championships.
In 2025 alone, Nathaniel has racked up an impressive list of achievements: 12 Championships (Indoor & Outdoor), NCAA Outdoor Champion (400mH), NCAA Top 10 All-Time, Bowerman Finalist, Diamond League Top 3 at Prefontaine, Silesia & Zurich, National Record holder, Top 5 in African History, and No. 5 in the 400mH World Rankings.
