Tokyo 2025: Ezekiel Nathaniel cruises into 400mH semis at World Championships
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Nigeria's hurdling star Ezekiel Nathaniel is through to the 400mH semis at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships after conveniently winning his heat race.
The hurdling youngster was in a league of his own against the rest of the field, as he cruised to victory in an impressive 48.37s.
USA's Caleb Dean posted 48.67s for second, while Brazil's Francisco Dos Reis Viana followed in a Personal Best of 48.69s.
Heat 5 of the men’s 400m hurdles
— Vaseline Stark, King in the North (@femii_p) September 15, 2025
Ezekiel Nathaniel🇳🇬 48.37s
Caleb Dean🇺🇸 48.67s
Francisco Dos Reis Viana🇧🇷 48.69s (PB)
Alastair Chalmers🇬🇧 48.86s pic.twitter.com/erhrGiF4ih
Nathaniel will fancy his chances of qualifying for the final and challenging for a medal, having had a breakout 2025 season.
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This year has been a tremendous one for the 21-year-old, first staying undefeated in the college scene and winning the NCAA title, then making his professional debut on the Diamond League circuit, he recorded a win in Lausanne, set a new National Record (NR) of 47.31s in Silesia, and capped it off with a brilliant third place finish at the Zurich final.
Nathaniel's NR currently ranks him fifth in the world, making him a top challenger for a medal in Tokyo. If successful, will make him Nigeria's first medallist in the event in history.