Nigeria’s rising track star, Ezekiel Nathaniel, has vowed to deliver an even faster performance at the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo after smashing his own national 400m hurdles record for the fifth time this season.
The 22-year-old clocked an impressive 47.31 seconds at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland on Saturday, finishing second behind Olympic champion Karsten Warholm, who stormed to a world-leading 46.28s. Nathaniel’s time now ranks as the fifth fastest globally this year.
“I’ll be running Tokyo hopefully, and I’m expecting the best of myself,” Nathaniel said after the race. “I feel like I’m running fast right now, but I still have more in the tank and I’m ready to do more.”
His latest record-breaking run came under challenging circumstances, as he had flown into Europe just two days before the event and battled illness in the build-up.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect I would run fast because I just flew from Nigeria on Thursday, and it was stressful,” he admitted. “I felt sick, even had headaches, but after I opened up my stride, I felt good. I didn’t know I could actually do this, but all thanks to God I was able to.”
Nathaniel, who has gone unbeaten on the American collegiate circuit this year and set the third-fastest time in NCAA history, said competing against elite hurdlers like Warholm, Rai Benjamin, and Alison dos Santos has boosted his confidence.
“By running with these guys, it feels different to race with the professionals. It helps because the whole year I felt like I was running by myself on the NCAA circuit. It feels good to compete with them,” he said.
The Bowerman Award finalist also acknowledged the pride Nigerians feel about his performances.
“They are probably really happy right now to see their own out here doing this and representing the country properly,” he said.
Although Nathaniel missed out on qualifying for the Zurich Diamond League final due to his late entry into the professional circuit, his Silesia run confirmed his status as one of the world’s most exciting hurdlers and Nigeria’s brightest medal hope for Tokyo 2025.
He is set to return to the track today (Wednesday) at the prestigious Athletissima meet in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he will face competitors including Turkey’s Berke Akçam, the United States’ Trevor Bassitt, and Switzerland’s Julien Bonvin. With all entrants holding slower personal and season-best times, Nathaniel heads into the race as the overwhelming favourite.
About The Author
