Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel stole the spotlight at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Silesia, Poland, producing a career-best performance to set a new national record in the men’s 400m hurdles.
The 22-year-old powered home in 47.31 seconds, erasing his own Nigerian record of 47.49s set earlier this summer.
He finished second only to Norway’s Karsten Warholm, the Olympic champion and world record holder, who ran a blistering 46.28s, the fastest time in the world this year. Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba came third in 47.34s.
Nathaniel’s breakthrough underlined his growing reputation as one of the most promising young hurdlers in the world. Though just shy of automatic qualification for the Diamond League Final in Zurich, his performance in Poland has positioned him as a genuine contender heading into the World Championships in Tokyo next month.
