Ezekiel Nathaniel stunned in Tokyo, by producing Nigeria’s highest position finish in men’s 400mH world championships history.

In a dramatic end to the men’s 400mH final at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, Ezekiel Nathaniel narrowly lost out on a medal after finishing fourth in a new Nigerian Record (NR) of 47.11s.

The breakout hurdler competing in a stacked final against four of the world’s best 400m hurdlers in history, the 22-year-old held his own brilliantly with a strong finish after the last barrier. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to earn a podium placement.

Olympic champion Rai Benjamin won his first world title in a Season’s Best (SB) of 46.52s, far ahead of Alison Dos Santos in 46.84s, as Qatar’s Abdulrahman Samba returned to world championships podium for the first time since Doha 2019, clocking a SB of 47.08s.

Nathaniel was only 0.05s from winning the bronze medal, coming close to being the first Nigerian man to win a World Championship medal since Francis Obikwelu in 1999.

Surprisingly, in a twist of events, Benjamin was disqualified after it became obvious that he had hit his last barrier, which nudged and impeded Nathaniel’s momentum as he approached the finish line.

This led to the other medallists being upgraded in their medal positions, and Nathaniel was awarded the bronze medal.

The decision was contested by Benjamin and the American officials, who protested and were ultimately reinstated to the original finishing positions, including other medallists. This outcome was especially disheartening for Nigerians, who had already started celebrating their first-time medalist.

Despite this, Nathaniel will be proud of his performance and find comfort in the fact that he became Nigeria’s highest-ever finisher in the history of the event.

Consequently, his time is also the second fastest in African history, slightly behind Samuel Matete’s record of 47.10s.

Nathaniel may not have won a medal in Tokyo, but he has definitely put himself on the world map as the fourth-best 400m hurdler in the world.

Given his young age and talent, he has much to look forward to as someone with significant achievements ahead, including the potential to be an Olympic and world medallist.