Ezekiel Nathaniel etched his name into Nigerian athletics history on Friday, clocking a blistering 47.11s to set a new national record in the men’s 400m hurdles final at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships.

The 22-year-old fell just short of the podium, missing bronze by a mere 0.05 seconds, which would have made him Nigeria’s first male World Championship medalist since Francis Obikwelu in 1999.

The race itself was not without drama. A post-race protest initially saw Nathaniel elevated to third place after American Rai Benjamin, who stormed home first in 46.54s (SB), was briefly disqualified for knocking down the final hurdle. However, officials later ruled the clearance legal, reinstating Benjamin as the winner.

With the decision upheld, Alison dos Santos (Brazil) secured silver in 46.84s, Abderrahman Samba (Qatar) clinched bronze in 47.06s (SB), and Nathaniel settled for 4th place despite his record-breaking run. Olympic champion Karsten Warholm (Norway) finished 5th in 47.21s.

After the dust settled, Nathaniel showed grace in defeat and defended Benjamin’s reinstatement.

 “That man actually put in a lot of work for that. Everybody came out to put in a lot of work. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” he said.