Sports
Nigerian blazes to historic 400m hurdles final
The fresh Baylor University graduate stormed to victory in the second semi-final, clocking 47.47s, the fastest time of all the three semi-finals, to secure his place in Friday’s showpiece.
Nathaniel crossed the line ahead of Qatar’s Ismail Doudai Abakar, who ran a personal best of 47.61, while American Caleb Dean finished third in 47.85.
Despite recording a slower reaction time off the blocks compared to his closest rivals, he produced a strong middle phase and surged clear over the final two hurdles. His powerful finish left Abakar and Dean trailing, while Jamaica’s Malik James-King and Brazil’s Matheus Lima could not keep pace despite season-best performances.
It was Nigerian’s second-fastest time ever, just behind his 47.31s national record he set exactly a month ago, which means he now occupies the top 16 of the country’s top list.
This achievement comes after two consecutive heartbreaks at the semi-final stage in previous editions of the World Championships in Oregon and Budapest, making his breakthrough in Tokyo all the more significant.
He is only the second Nigerian after Henry Amike to reach a World Championships final in the 400 metres hurdles. Amike achieved the feat in Rome in 1987, long before Nathaniel was born, and the young hurdler will now aim to surpass Amike’s fourth-place finish by becoming the first Nigerian to win a medal in the event.
Success in the final would also deliver Nigeria’s second podium in Tokyo, following Tobi Amusan’s silver in the women’s sprint hurdles.
In the other semi-finals, Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba edged past world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway in 47.63s, with Warholm clocking 47.72s and Germany’s Emil Agyekum setting a personal best of 47.83s.
The final heat was won by American Rai Benjamin in 47.95s, with Brazil’s Olympic champion Alison dos Santos second in 48.16s and Qatar’s Bassem Hemeida producing a lifetime best of 48.29s for third.
Nathaniel’s qualification has placed him among the world’s best in a final that will also feature Warholm, Benjamin and dos Santos, a trio often described as the dominant forces of the discipline with the ‘Big 3’ tag.
The 22-year-old has been touted as one of the stars to keep an eye on in the event, also had few but punchy words for the established names.
“I’m not going to say too much. We have seen their potential, and I’m still scratching the surface, so they better be ready,” he told Making of Champions.
By running the fastest semi-final time, He has signalled that he is ready to challenge them and compete for a place on the podium.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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