By KUNLE SOLAJA.

Nigeria’s silver medal finish at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships once again highlighted the country’s roller-coaster fortunes on the global stage.

While the podium placement ensured Nigeria did not return empty-handed, the overall medal count has remained stagnant in recent years compared to other rising athletics nations.

At the Doha 2019 Championships, Team Nigeria endured a barren outing, failing to register a single medal. Three years later in Oregon 2022, Ese Brume broke the drought with a stunning gold in the women’s long jump — Nigeria’s first-ever world title in the event.

The momentum continued into Budapest 2023, where world record holder Tobi Amusan claimed silver in the women’s 100m hurdles, cementing Nigeria’s presence among the elite hurdlers. In Tokyo this year, the nation repeated the feat in the same event, albeit again settling for silver.

A comparative glance at the last four editions shows a troubling trend: Nigeria has not improved its medal tally, with just one medal each in 2022, 2023, and 2025.

This raises urgent questions about depth, consistency, and investment in talent development beyond the few star performers.

Comparative Medal Table (2019–2025)

• Doha 2019 – 0 medals (No standout performance)
• Oregon 2022 – 1 Gold (Ese Brume, Women’s Long Jump)
• Budapest 2023 – 1 Silver (Tobi Amusan, 100m Hurdles)
• Tokyo 2025 – 1 Silver (100m Hurdles)

The pattern underscores Nigeria’s reliance on individual brilliance rather than systemic excellence. Athletics analysts argue that unless the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) strengthens grassroots programs, invests in coaching and sports science, and improves athlete welfare, the country risks stagnating while competitors from Africa and beyond surge ahead.

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For a fleeting moment under the bright lights of the World Athletics Championships on Friday night in Tokyo, Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel stood on the edge of history.

With American Rai Benjamin disqualified after clattering into the final hurdle of the men’s 400 metres hurdles, the 21-year-old Nigerian was in line for a dramatic bronze medal — the first for Nigeria in the event.

The scoreboard briefly promised what millions of Nigerians have long hoped for: a place on the world podium in one of athletics’ most grueling races. Nathaniel’s 47.11 seconds run had already placed him among the best, but the disqualification opened a golden window that could have rewritten his story.

Then came the twist. Benjamin’s appeal was upheld. In an instant, the American was restored as champion with his 46.52-second finish, Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos returned to silver (46.84), and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba to bronze (47.06). Nathaniel slipped back to fourth — so close to glory, yet just out of reach.

Rather than protest, Nathaniel showed remarkable grace in the face of disappointment.

“It’s a fair call,” he admitted softly, moments after stepping off the track. “He put in a lot of work to get that medal. He didn’t deliberately knock over the hurdle — that could happen to anyone.”

It was a statement that revealed not just his maturity, but his character. Many athletes might have clung to the what-ifs, but Nathaniel chose fairness over frustration.

Still, the sense of what might have been lingered. Nigeria has never won a world medal in the men’s 400 metres hurdles, and Nathaniel, fresh from breaking Henry Amike’s decades-old national record and already an Olympian, looked ready to seize that moment.

In a field packed with giants — Benjamin, Dos Santos, Warholm — Nathaniel’s fifth-place finish signaled that he belongs among them. At just 21, his journey is only beginning, but on this night, fate denied him a podium place by the slimmest of margins.

It was the medal that slipped away — but also a performance that suggested Nigeria’s next global athletics breakthrough may not be far off.

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Olympic champion Rai Benjamin stormed to victory in the 400 metres hurdles in 46.52 seconds to finally clinch his first world championship gold medal on Friday after two silvers and a bronze.

The 28-year-old American, who had put on a golden crown following the finish, had a few nervous moments after initially being disqualified for crashing into the final hurdle and affecting other athletes.

Benjamin’s appeal was quickly upheld, however, and he was restored to the top of the timesheet with World Athletics confirming he was the champion.

The American said he thought he might have stepped on the line when he was first told of the potential qualification.

“It was all fine in the end,” he said. “It feels great. I am glad I finally got the job done. I got another individual medal under my belt, for which I am extremely proud.

“I think I did a good job. Unfortunately, I got really greedy in the end and that’s why I hit the last hurdle.”

Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos briefly held another world title to go with his 2022 triumph after finishing second in 46.84, but was satisfied with silver.

“If nothing irregular happened, that’s not how I want to win gold,” he said. “I want to conquer the race. So I am not sad with silver, I am happy.”

Qatari Abderrahman Samba took bronze in 47.06, while Norway’s world record holder Karsten Warholm, who was gunning for a fourth world title, finished fifth in 47.58 behind Ezekiel Nathaniel (47.11).

NO COMPLAINTS ABOUT REVERSAL OF DISQUALIFICATION

Nathaniel said he had been told to stand by while the disqualification and appeal were sorted out but had no complaints about how it all washed out, even if he did not end up on the podium.

“It’s a fair call,” said the Nigerian. “He put in a lot of work to get that medal and if they are trying to rip off from that, I don’t think that’s fair. He didn’t deliberately knock over the hurdle, that could happen to anyone.”

The race pitted the fastest three men in the history of the one-lap hurdle against each other and Benjamin, Warholm and Dos Santos all exploded out of the blocks.

Benjamin had a clear lead as they came around the final bend with Warholm starting to fade and the American looked to be cruising to victory until his foot made contact with the final hurdle.

Warholm also had no problems with the reversal of the disqualification but was very unhappy with his race.

“I had something happen when I got out of the block, like a little strain in my left thigh,” he said.

“I don’t know if it’s a hamstring or knee. Trying to hurdle with it wasn’t good. I also crashed the third hurdle. I tried to push but it was just a terrible race. A disaster.”

-Reuters

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