Day 7 was a rollercoaster for Nigeria’s final athlete to compete at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, Ezekiel Nathaniel. Nathaniel was ONLY the third Nigerian athlete to reach a final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and the first to do so in the 400mH since Henry Amike in 1987.
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).
Things got dramatic when Benjamin was disqualified for displacing a hurdle and impeding another athlete, which briefly gave Nathaniel the Bronze medal. However, Benjamin was reinstated and given the GOLD medal.
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.
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.
