Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel produced a commanding performance to win gold in the men’s 400m hurdles at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Friday, becoming the first Nigerian to win the gold medal in the event at the Commonwealth Games.
The 23-year-old crossed the finish line in 48.47 seconds at Scotstoun Stadium, ahead of England’s Jake Minshull, who claimed silver in 48.99 seconds, while Jamaica’s Assinie Wilson secured bronze with a time of 49.22 seconds.
The closest a Nigerian had previously come to winning the event was in 1966, when Kingsley Agbabokha claimed silver in what was then called the 440-yard hurdles.
The victory marked a remarkable turnaround for Nathaniel, who finished sixth in the same event at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Since then, he has built himself into one of the world’s premier quarter-mile hurdlers, reaching semi-finals at the World Championships in both 2022 and 2023 as well as at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
His breakthrough came at Baylor University in Texas, where he broke the Nigerian record as a freshman in 2022 and later became the school’s first-ever national champion in the event, winning the 2025 NCAA Outdoor title in a personal best of 47.49 seconds.
Reflecting on his win, Nathaniel said the achievement meant a lot to him and that he had set a standard for those coming after him.
The gold was Nigeria’s ninth of the Games, extending an outstanding athletics campaign in Glasgow. Nathaniel’s triumph came just a day after Chukwuebuka Enekwechi won gold in the men’s shot put with a championship-winning throw of 21.07 metres, while Tobi Amusan added a bronze in the women’s 100m hurdles.
Minutes after Nathaniel’s win, teammate Udodi Onwuzurike claimed silver in the men’s 200m , further underlining the strength of Team Nigeria’s track and field squad in Scotland.
