Heartbreak in Tokyo: Nathaniel’s Bronze dream snatched after dramatic reversal

By Victor Okoye

Nigeria’s 400m hurdles record holder, Ezekiel Nathaniel, endured heartbreak at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after losing a bronze medal he briefly held following a dramatic sequence of events.

Nathaniel had initially crossed the line in fourth place in the men’s 400m hurdles final, clocking 47.11 seconds to set a new Nigerian record.

The race was won by American Rai Benjamin in 46.52 seconds, with Brazil’s Alson Dos Santos and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba finishing second and third respectively.

Moments later, drama unfolded when Benjamin was disqualified for hitting the final hurdle in Lane 6, which inadvertently displaced Nathaniel’s last hurdle.

The disqualification temporarily elevated Nathaniel to third place, handing him what would have been Nigeria’s first-ever World Championships medal in the men’s 400m hurdles.

The reshuffle saw Dos Santos move up to gold and Samba promoted to silver, while Nathaniel was celebrated as bronze medalist. However, the jubilation was short-lived.

The United States Track and Field Federation lodged an appeal against Benjamin’s disqualification, and after a review, the meet referee reinstated him as champion. The decision returned Dos Santos to second place and Samba to third, pushing Nathaniel back to fourth.

Despite the disappointment, Nathaniel’s performance was historic. He not only broke his previous national record of 47.31 seconds set in August, but also became only the second Nigerian to ever reach a World Championships 400m hurdles final, replicating Henry Amike’s fourth-place finish in Rome in 1987.

Nathaniel’s 2025 season has been remarkable, with highlights including an NCAA title, two national records, and consistently fast times under 48 seconds.

Although he fell just short of the podium, his trajectory suggests greater promise for the future.

Team Nigeria concluded the championships with a single medal, Tobi Amusan’s, a significant improvement on the 2023 Budapest edition, where the country failed to register on the medals table. (NAN)