Ezekiel Nathaniel became the first Nigerian man to reach a 400m hurdles final at the World Championships in 38 years after storming to victory in the semi-final, clocking 47.47s, www.aclsports.com reports.
He is the first Nigerian to achieve this feat since Henry Amike in 1987 and did so with the fastest time among all semi-finalists. Nathaniel crossed the line ahead of Ismail Doudai Abakar of Qatar, who set a personal best of 47.61s, with both athletes securing automatic qualification for the final. Caleb Dean of the United States finished third in 47.85s.
The semi-finals were fiercely competitive, with Abderrahman Samba of Qatar (47.63s), Karsten Warholm of Norway (47.72s), and Rai Benjamin of the United States (47.95s) also earning automatic spots in the final. Emil Agyekum of Germany (47.83s) and Caleb Dean (47.85s) advanced based on time, while Jamaica’s Malik James-King ran a season-best 48.01s and Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos clocked 48.16s to secure places in the final.
Nathaniel, now aiming for a medal, will be looking to make history. Reflecting on his performance, he said, “I’m very proud of myself. The difference today is that I improved, and looking ahead to the final on Friday, September 19, I’m ready to give it everything it takes.”
