Nathaniel Makes History, First Nigerian in 400m Hurdles Final in 38 Years
Nathaniel clocked a time of 47.47 seconds to claim first place in Heat 2. He edged out Ismail Abakar of Qatar, who set a personal best of 47.61s, and the USA’s Caleb Dean, who finished in 47.85s. His time is the fastest among all semi-finalists.
Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel has ended a 38-year wait for his country in the men’s 400 metres hurdles at the World Athletics Championships by qualifying for the final after winning his semi-final heat on September 17, 2025.
According to Vanguard, Nathaniel clocked a time of 47.47 seconds to claim first place in Heat 2. He edged out Ismail Abakar of Qatar, who set a personal best of 47.61s, and the USA’s Caleb Dean, who finished in 47.85s. His time is the fastest among all semi-finalists.
The last time a Nigerian athlete made the final in this event was in 1987, when Henry Amike contested the final in Italy and finished sixth with a time of 48.63s. Nathaniel, Nigeria’s current record-holder, has now firmly put himself in contention. He will race from lane 6 in the final, scheduled for Friday.
This milestone is widely viewed as a moment of validation for Nathaniel, who has steadily improved his times and held the national record going into the semi-final. With top contenders like Alison Dos Santos (Brazil), Karsten Warholm (Norway), and Rai Benjamin (USA) also set for the final, expectations are high that Nathaniel could do more than just make history.
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