Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel delivered the performance of his career at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland, where he broke his own national record in the men’s 400m hurdles.
The 22-year-old clocked an impressive 47.31 seconds, bettering his previous Nigerian best of 47.49s set earlier this season. His time secured him second place behind Norway’s Olympic champion and world record holder, Karsten Warholm, who stormed to victory in 46.28s, the fastest mark in the world this year. Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba completed the podium with 47.34s.
Nathaniel’s rise has marked him out as one of the brightest young hurdlers on the international stage. Although just short of automatic qualification for the Diamond League Final in Zurich, his breakthrough showing in Poland places him among the names to watch at next month’s World Championships in Tokyo.
Strong Nigerian Performances Across Events
While Nathaniel grabbed the headlines, other Nigerian athletes also impressed in Silesia.
Tobi Amusan, the reigning world champion in the 100m hurdles, ran 12.25s to finish third in a stacked women’s race. Victory went to American Masai Russell, who set a Diamond League record of 12.19s, with compatriot Tonea Marshall narrowly ahead of Amusan at 12.24s.
In the men’s shot put, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi threw 21.58m to place seventh. Despite the effort, the result pushed him down to seventh in the overall standings, as Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri overtook him for the last Zurich qualifying spot after a 22.10m effort, second behind American Payton Otterdahl’s winning throw of 22.28m. Enekwechi will need something special at the Lausanne leg to stay in contention.
Meanwhile, Favour Ofili delivered a season’s best in the women’s 200m, running 22.25s to claim third place and boost her confidence ahead of the Worlds.
Road to Tokyo
With Nathaniel’s record-breaking run, Amusan’s podium finish, and Ofili’s encouraging sprint form, Nigeria’s contingent showed strong progress in their build-up to the Tokyo World Championships. The collective performances suggest the team could mount a serious challenge on the global stage next month.
