Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel has secured a historic bronze medal within the males’s 400m hurdles on the World Athletics Championships after the dramatic disqualification of America’s Rai Benjamin.
Nathaniel, 21, clocked a blistering 47.11 seconds, setting a brand new Nigerian nationwide document and etching his title into historical past because the nation’s first-ever medalist within the occasion.
The younger hurdler ran with exceptional composure on the worldwide stage, powering by means of a star-studded discipline and even ending forward of Norway’s Olympic champion and former world document holder, Karsten Warholm.
Initially, Rai Benjamin of america claimed gold with a time of 46.54 seconds, adopted by Brazil’s Alison dos Santos in 46.84 seconds, and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba in 47.06 seconds.
Nonetheless, Benjamin was later disqualified for displacing a hurdle and impeding one other athlete, which reshuffled the rostrum and upgraded Nathaniel to bronze.
This second represents each triumph and historical past for Nigeria. Nathaniel’s time not solely shattered his earlier nationwide document but additionally confirmed him among the many quickest males ever within the occasion.
It additionally ends a 38-year drought since Henry Amike final reached the World Championships remaining in 1987, the place he positioned sixth.
Nathaniel’s journey from collegiate competitions in america to world stardom highlights his arduous work and Nigeria’s rising affect on the world athletics stage.
With the Paris 2028 Olympics and future World Championships forward, his breakthrough suggests even larger achievements lie forward.
At simply 21, Ezekiel Nathaniel’s record-breaking bronze medal is greater than a private milestone—it’s a defining chapter in Nigeria’s athletics historical past and an indication of brighter days to return.
