Nigerian sprint sensation, Ezekiel Nathaniel has once again rewritten Africa’s indoor track history, setting a new 400m indoor record of 44.74 seconds at the 2025 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship in Lubbock, Texas, USA, on Saturday.
This achievement comes just two weeks after the 21-year-old became the first African to break the 45-second barrier in the event, clocking 44.92s at the Jarvis Scott Invite—also in Lubbock.
Facing strong competition from Arizona State’s Jayden Davis, Nathaniel took control early, leading at the break with a 21.09s opening lap. He maintained his pace and powered through to the finish, breaking his own record to clinch gold. Davis followed closely, finishing second in 44.95s.
Nathaniel later anchored Baylor University’s men’s 4x400m relay team to victory, helping them secure their 17th Big 12 title with a time of 3:04.78.
Beyond setting another African record, Nathaniel’s new time makes him:
- The eighth-fastest man in the world over the 400m indoor distance
- Sixth on the all-time NCAA list
- Holder of the Big 12 meet record
His efforts also helped Baylor’s men’s team secure third place overall with 84 points, finishing behind Oklahoma State (87 points) and Texas Tech (124 points).
Nathaniel will next compete at the 2025 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, set for March 14-15 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is also expected to represent Nigeria at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, from March 21-23.
A product of the Buka Tigers Athletics Club in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Nathaniel first made waves in 2021, finishing fourth at the World U-20 Championships in Nairobi. His impressive performance earned him a spot at Baylor University, where he has continued to dominate.
In 2022, he shattered Henry Amike’s 34-year-old Nigerian 400m hurdles record, clocking 48.42s to win the Big 12 Conference title. Two years later, he lowered it to 48.00s.
Nathaniel has since competed at the World Championships (2022 & 2023) and reached the semi-finals of the 400m at the Paris 2024 Olympics. With his latest record-breaking feat, the young Nigerian continues to solidify his place as one of Africa’s top sprint talents.
