Nigeria’s Nathaniel misses World Athletics Championships medal by 0.05 Seconds

By Tosin Omojola –

Nigeria narrowly missed out on a second medal at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, after Ezekiel Nathaniel fell just short of a podium finish.

In a controversial turn of events, Nathaniel was denied a medal despite breaking the Nigerian men’s 400m hurdles record.

Running the race of his life, Nathaniel clocked 47.11 seconds to finish fourth in the final. His effort was briefly upgraded to a bronze medal position after the initial disqualification of American athlete Rai Benjamin, who had won the race but was penalized for displacing a hurdle and allegedly impacting another athlete.

However, moments later, Benjamin was reinstated and awarded the gold medal, pushing Nathaniel back to fourth place and out of medal contention.

Despite the disappointment, Nathaniel’s performance was commendable, as he missed out on a podium finish by just 0.05 seconds. He came agonizingly close to becoming the first Nigerian man to win a World Championship medal since Francis Obikwelu in 1999.

Nathaniel’s race marked Nigeria’s final appearance at the championships, which will conclude on Sunday, September 21, 2025, at the Japan National Stadium.

As it stands, Nigeria’s only medal at the championship remains the silver secured by Tobi Amusan in the women’s 100 metres hurdles.