Nigeria’s fast-rising 22-year-old quartermiler, Nathaniel Ezekiel is relishing his surge into the men’s 400m semi-finals at the ongoing World Athletics Championship in Tokyo, Japan.
Sports247 reports that Ezekiel’s time of 48.37s was good enough to book a spot in the penultimate round of his preferred event, though it was a far cry from his 44.47 African record that he achieved earlier this year.
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Ezekiel, who also set a personal best of 47.31 in the men’s 400m hurdles at one of this year’s Diamond League meetings in Chorzow, appeared under no pressure in winning his heat on Monday and disclosed that his burst of good results have been due to constant hard work.
Ezekiel, who recently emerged as National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) 400m champion in the USA, declared: “I’m consistent with my events. I keep going because I always tell myself, ‘If you have to win, you have to work hard.’
“I also say, ‘You have to keep going, stay consistent and be focused.’ So far, for everything that is happening right now, I’m not really surprised.”
Ezekiel, who first broke ex-international Henry Amike’s Nigerian 400m record in 2022 with a time of 48.42 and reduced it to 44.74 this year, added: “I keep pushing and my happiness is seeing the results that I am getting.”
