Ezekiel Nathaniel advanced to the semi-finals of the men's 400m hurdles in his first Olympic appearance on Monday morning. The national record holder secured an automatic spot by finishing second in heat 4 with a time of 48.32 seconds, his fourth fastest ever.
Jamaica's Roshawn Clarke won the heat with a time of 48.17 seconds, while Wilfried Happio placed third at 48.42 seconds. Nathaniel is the first Nigerian athlete in 12 years to reach the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles at the Olympics, following Amaechi Morton's achievement at London 2012.
Meanwhile, Nigeria's Chidi Okezie did not advance to the semi-finals of the men's 400m, finishing fifth in the second heat of the repechage round with a time of 45.92 seconds.
