Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel, clocked 48.37s to win his heat and advance to the semi-finals of the men’s 400m hurdles at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Nigerian hurdler crossed the line ahead of Caleb Dean (USA), who finished second in 48.67s, and Francisco Guilherme dos Reis Viana (Brazil), who set a personal best of 48.69s to take third place. Alastair Chalmers (Great Britain) followed closely in 48.86s to secure the final automatic qualification spot.
It was a competitive opening round, with South Africa’s Sabelo Dhlamini posting 49.50s, while Turkey’s İsmail Nezir finished in 49.66s. Slovakia’s Patrik Dömötör (49.91s), Japan’s Ken Toyoda (51.80s), and Bangladesh’s Najimul Hossain Roni (52.47s) were unable to keep pace.
Nathaniel, competing in his third consecutive World Athletics Championships in the men’s 400m hurdles, showcased his experience and composure with a commanding heat performance. By finishing among the top four, he secured automatic qualification for the semi-finals. His time of 48.37s ranked 10th overall among the qualifiers, underlining his status as a strong contender for a place in the final.
