World Champs: Ezekiel Nathaniel Ends Nigeria’s 38-Year Wait for 400m Hurdles Final

Ezekiel Nathaniel ended Nigeria’s 38-year wait for a place in the men’s 400m hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships after winning Heat 2 and qualifying with the fastest time on Wednesday.

The last Nigerian to achieve this feat was Henry Amike in 1987 in Italy, where he eventually finished sixth in 48.63s.

Nathaniel, Nigeria’s current record holder, clocked 47.47s ahead of Qatar’s Ismail Abakar, who set a personal best of 47.61s, and USA’s Caleb Dean in 47.85s.

Despite running from a challenging Lane 8, Nathaniel stayed resilient, powering to victory — a performance that positions him as a strong podium contender in a final stacked with top names like Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos, Norway’s Karsten Warholm, and USA’s Rai Benjamin.

He will compete in the final from Lane 6 on Friday.