Ezekiel Nathaniel made history for Nigeria at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, breaking the national record in the men’s 400m hurdles final with a blistering 47.11 seconds to finish fourth.
Nathaniel was briefly celebrated as a World Championship bronze medalist after American Rai Benjamin, the initial winner, was disqualified for a lane infringement.
However, after an appeal, Benjamin’s result was reinstated, returning him to the gold medal position and pushing Nathaniel back to fourth place.
Nathaniel’s 47.11 seconds was just 0.05 seconds shy of Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba, who took bronze in 47.06 seconds.
Benjamin’s reinstated winning time stood at 46.54 seconds, with Brazil’s Alison dos Santos taking silver in 46.84 seconds.
The 21-year-old’s performance still cements his place among the world’s elite hurdlers and sets a new benchmark for Nigerian athletics, offering hope for a future global podium finish.
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