Ezekiel Nathaniel delivered a historic performance on Friday, powering to gold in the men’s 400m hurdles at the 2026 Commonwealth Games as Team Nigeria’s impressive campaign in Glasgow gathered further momentum.
The 23-year-old produced a commanding run to cross the finish line in 48.47 seconds, finishing ahead of England’s Jake Minshull, who claimed silver in 48.99s, while Jamaica’s Assinie Wilson secured bronze with a time of 49.22s.
Dominica’s Dennick Luke narrowly missed out on a medal after placing fourth in 49.27s. England’s Seamus Derbyshire finished fifth in 49.45s, Guernsey’s Alastair Chalmers placed sixth in 50.24s, India’s Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan came seventh in 50.37s, while fellow Indian Yashas Palaksha finished eighth in 51.81s.
Nathaniel’s triumph made him the first Nigerian man to win Commonwealth Games gold in the men’s 400m hurdles. He also became the first Nigerian athlete to reach the podium in the event in 16 years, since Ajoke Odumosu won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
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The victory marked a remarkable improvement for Nathaniel, who finished sixth in the same event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with a time of 51.38 seconds.
Speaking after his victory, Nathaniel expressed his pride at delivering another memorable moment for Nigeria: “I’m proud, happy. Wearing Nigeria, coming out here and winning, it’s awesome. Really, really awesome,” he said.
The 23-year-old revealed that his race strategy was to focus on his own performance rather than his rivals.
“I’m focused on myself. I came here with the mindset of winning, which I did. I already said I was gonna focus on myself because I’m the guy they want to beat in this race.”
Despite winning comfortably, Nathaniel admitted he was not entirely satisfied with his execution: “The race was good, but it didn’t go as I planned. At the end of the day I still won it,” he added.
On becoming the first Nigerian man to win Commonwealth Games gold in the men’s 400m hurdles, Nathaniel reflected on the significance of the achievement.
“It means a lot. I’ve set a standard for those who are coming next.”
Nathaniel’s gold increased Team Nigeria’s medal tally at the 2026 Commonwealth Games to 17 medals, comprising nine gold, five silver and three bronze.
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