Rave of the moment, Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel narrowly missed out on a historic medal in the men’s 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships on Friday after a dramatic sequence of events involving American sprinter Rai Benjamin.
Benjamin initially crossed the finish line first in a time of 46.54 seconds, edging past Brazil’s Alison dos Santos who clocked 46.84 seconds, while Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba finished third with 47.05 seconds.
Nathaniel, running in his first global final, delivered a remarkable performance of 47.11 seconds, which set a new Nigerian national record. Initially appeared to earn him a place on the podium after Benjamin was disqualified for a lane infringement.
The 21-year-old Nigerian was briefly elevated to bronze medal position, sparking celebration among athletics fans in Nigeria who believed history had been made with the country’s first-ever medal in the men’s 400m hurdles.
However, in a dramatic twist, the disqualification against Benjamin was overturned following an appeal by Team USA. The reinstatement restored Benjamin as the gold medalist, pushing Nathaniel back to fourth place.
The outcome left Nathaniel just 0.06 seconds short of a medal, underlining both his progress and the fine margins of elite competition. His performance nevertheless remains historic, as he not only broke his own national record but also became the first Nigerian to contest a World Championships final in the event since Henry Amike in 1987.
Despite the heartbreak of missing out on the podium, Nathaniel’s showing in Tokyo signals the emergence of a new star for Nigerian athletics.
