Nigeria end Tokyo run with Amusan sole medallist News

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Nigeria end Tokyo run with Amusan sole medallist

By Daily Sports Nigeria on September 20, 2025

Nigeria concluded their campaign at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with Tobi Amusan as their sole medallist, claiming silver in the women’s 100m hurdles while Ezekiel Nathaniel provided a memorable finale by breaking his own national 400m hurdles record.

Amusan once again underlined her position as the country’s most reliable global performer, taking silver in her signature event to provide the delegation with its only podium finish and maintain her reputation as one of the world’s leading hurdlers.

The championships ended on a dramatic note for Nigeria as Nathaniel capped the country’s campaign by running 47.11 seconds to finish fourth in the men’s 400m hurdles final, setting a new national record for the sixth time in 2025.

The 22-year-old’s effort, though narrowly missing the podium, represented both a personal best and a new Nigerian benchmark in an event filled with high drama.

The race saw American Rai Benjamin win gold in 46.52 seconds, adding the world title to his Olympic crown, with Brazil’s Alison dos Santos taking silver in 46.84 and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba settling for bronze in 47.06.

However, the final was not without controversy. Benjamin clipped the final hurdle and officials initially ruled that the displaced barrier had interfered with another competitor, briefly promoting Nathaniel to third place in what would have been Nigeria’s first men’s World Championship medal since Francis Obikwelu’s silver in 1999.

Following an appeal and detailed review, the decision was overturned and Benjamin was reinstated as champion, leaving athletes, spectators and global viewers waiting anxiously for confirmation.

Nathaniel’s performance demonstrated remarkable composure and consistency, shaving valuable milliseconds from his previous best and indicating that he is closing the gap between being a finalist and becoming a medallist at the highest level.

On the track, Kanyinsola Ajayi produced one of the more memorable moments by reaching the men’s 100m final and placing sixth against a high-calibre field, having qualified strongly through the heats and semi-finals.

Udodi Onwuzurike showed promise in the men’s 200m, qualifying from his heats to the semi-final before bowing out in seventh place in a race won by eventual champion Noah Lyles.

However, several Nigerian athletes suffered early exits. Rosemary Chukwuma was eliminated in the women’s 100m heats, while Israel Okon, who had won his opening heat, fell short in the men’s 100m semi-final.

In the men’s 400m, both Chidi Okezie and Samuel Ogazi were eliminated in the heats.

In the field events, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi impressed with a fifth-place finish in the men’s long jump final, while several others struggled to progress beyond the opening rounds.

Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons and Obiageri Amaechi both exited in the first round of the women’s discus, Sade Olatoye suffered the same fate in the women’s hammer throw, and in the women’s long jump, Prestina Ochonogor and Ese Brume were unable to progress beyond the first round.

Charles Godfred also fell at the first hurdle in the men’s long jump.

Nigeria’s Tokyo campaign delivered a mixture of promise and painful lessons. Amusan’s silver medal and Nathaniel’s national record stood as the clearest markers of progress, while Ajayi’s appearance in the men’s 100m final confirmed Nigeria’s enduring sprint pedigree.

The string of early exits across the throws and jumps underlined the depth of global competition and the significant work still required to transform appearances into regular podium finishes.

The championships represented an improvement over the Budapest World Championships where Team Nigeria ended empty-handed, though the delegation will be hoping for a broader medal haul in future competitions.

Source Punch Ng

Posted September 20, 2025