Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel has set a new national record in the men’s 400m hurdles, clocking 47.11 seconds to finish fourth in the final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Friday.
Gatekeepers News reports that competing from lane six, the 22-year-old crossed the line in 47.11 seconds, an improvement on his previous record of 47.31 set in Poland on August 16.
Despite a slow start, Nathaniel produced a strong finish in the closing meters but fell just short of the podium.
The medals went to the USA’s Rai Benjamin (46.52 seconds), Brazil’s Allison dos Santos (46.84), and Qatar’s Ismail Doudai Abakar (47.00).
Nathaniel’s performance made history as he became the first Nigerian man in 38 years to reach the 400m hurdles final at the World Championships, ending the country’s streak of near misses in the event.
