In a review of major performers at the National Collegiate Athletics Association, World Athletics listed Baylor’s Ezekiel Nathaniel as a challenger for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo 25, later this year.
World Athletics described Nathaniel’s standing before the final and how his winning the title elevates him.
“Nathaniel entered this week’s NCAA Championships as one of the fastest athletes in the world in the 400m hurdles, and left as a rising challenger for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.”
The Nigerian hurdler furthered his case as a global threat, joining a few others who did the same, including Kentucky’s Carli Makarawu in the 200m, when he won the NCAA title in a national record of 47.46 on Friday (13) in Eugene.
Nathaniel was the pre-race favourite as the only NCAA athlete to break 48 seconds this year. He did that again in Wednesday’s qualifying rounds, running 47.86.
Friday’s final saw him comfortably lead the field out to 300m, and though Ja’Qualon Scott challenged him on the inside, Nathaniel was clean over the final two hurdles before securing the win in commanding fashion.
Ja’Qualon Scott was 2nd in 48.29s, while Kody Blackwood ran 48.66s for 3rd.
The last time a Nigerian won an NCAA title was in 2023 by Udodi Onwuzurike.
His winning time of 47.46 is the second-fastest time of 2025, only behind Karsten Warholm and ahead of Alison Dos Santos, two of the three athletes, along with Rai Benjamin, who have pushed the event to some of the fastest times in history.
In winning the NCAA title, Nathaniel also smashed his Nigerian record for the 4th time this year.
Currently, he holds three of the five fastest 400m hurdles times in the world.
