Nigerian track sensation Nathaniel Ezekiel will make his professional debut at the Eugene Diamond League on Friday, July 5, marking a significant new chapter in what has already been a record-breaking season for the 21-year-old hurdler.
Nathaniel Ezekiel, who recently wrapped up his collegiate career at Baylor University with historic achievements, will line up in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Eugene, Oregon — the same track where he stormed to NCAA glory earlier this month.
The race will serve as his first professional competition and his first since winning the NCAA 400m hurdles title with a jaw-dropping 47.49 seconds, a time that shattered his own Nigerian record, ranked him second in the world this year, and placed him third all-time in NCAA history.
The victory also made him Baylor’s first NCAA 400m hurdles champion since 2001, and only the third in the university’s history.
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His debut pits him against a world-class field that includes Olympic silver medallist Rai Benjamin (USA), 2022 world champion Alison Dos Santos (Brazil), 2019 world bronze medallist Abderrahman Samba (Qatar), CJ Allen, Trevor Bassitt, Alessinie Wilson, and Alessandro Sibilio.
Ezekiel has already secured automatic qualification for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan this September and his participation at the Eugene Diamond League offers the perfect opportunity to test himself against the very athletes he will likely face again in Tokyo.
Over the course of the 2025 season, he has been in sensational form — setting four Nigerian records (47.90s, 47.89s, 47.86s, and 47.49s), and dominating the NCAA with unmatched consistency.
The former Baylor Bear concluded his time in the U.S. collegiate system with a legacy few can match. He is a nine-time All-American, the 2025 Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year, and the USTFCCCA National Men’s Track Athlete of the Year — the first Baylor athlete to receive the national honor since Jeremy Wariner in 2004.
He also holds the school records in both the 400m hurdles and indoor 400m, and was a key member of the school’s indoor 4x400m relay team.
Last week, he was named a semifinalist for The Bowerman Award, considered the most prestigious honor in U.S. collegiate track and field. He became just the third Baylor athlete to reach the semifinal stage, joining KC Lightfoot and Trayvon Bromell.
Now, with the collegiate chapter complete, Ezekiel is focused on transitioning to life as a professional athlete, starting with one of the most competitive Diamond League meets of the year.
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