Nigeria finish 27th at 2025 World Athletics Championships

Nigeria placed 27th on the medal table at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, ending the event with one silver medal.

The competition also set new records for participation and global reach.

The country’s only medal was delivered by Tobi Amusan, who secured silver in the women’s 100m hurdles. Her finish extended her run as Nigeria’s most consistent performer on the international stage.

Ezekiel Nathaniel came close to adding another medal. He broke his own national record in the men’s 400m hurdles, running 47.11 seconds to place fourth. His position was briefly upgraded to third after Rai Benjamin’s disqualification before being restored.

Kanyinsola Ajayi reached the men’s 100m final, where he finished sixth. Udodi Onwuzurike made the semi-final in the men’s 200m, while Chukwuebuka Enekwechi finished fifth in the men’s long jump.

Other Nigerian athletes were unable to progress far. Rosemary Chukwuma exited in the women’s 100m heats, and Israel Okon lost out in the men’s 100m semi-final despite winning his heat earlier. Both Chidi Okezie and Samuel Ogazi did not advance in the men’s 400m.

In the women’s discus, Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons and Obiageri Amaechi failed to make it out of the first-round group. Sade Olatoye fell short in the hammer event. In the women’s long jump, Prestina Ochonogor and Ese Brume did not qualify, while Charles Godfred also missed out in the men’s long jump.

Nigeria’s single silver medal placed it in joint 27th position on the table. Twelve other countries, including Algeria, Greece, Ireland, Morocco and Poland, also finished with the same tally.

The United States led the standings with 16 gold medals and 26 overall. Kenya, Canada, the Netherlands and Botswana completed the top five. A record 53 nations reached the medal table, surpassing the previous mark of 46 achieved in Budapest 2023 and Osaka 2007.

The championships produced one world record, nine championship records and nine area records. Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis delivered the headline mark, setting a new pole vault world record of 6.30m.

Samoa, Saint Lucia and Uruguay won historic first medals at the championships, while Tanzania secured its first-ever world gold.

US sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won three titles in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. Beatrice Chebet of Kenya and Maria Perez of Spain both earned two gold medals each.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the women’s 400m title in 47.78 seconds, the second-fastest time in history. Canada’s Ethan Katzberg set a championship record in the hammer throw with a distance of 84.70m.

World Athletics described Tokyo 2025 as its most impactful edition to date. The event drew more than 619,000 fans to the stadium, surpassing the Tokyo 1991 attendance record. Television audiences also reached new highs, including more than 12 million viewers in Japan on the opening day and 75 per cent of Sweden’s audience for Duplantis’ record jump.

The governing body said its social media platforms recorded 700 million video views during the championships. Over 125,000 articles were published worldwide, reaching a potential audience of 180 billion.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe called the Tokyo event “a championships for the ages,” noting that the city delivered on its promise of full stadiums after the silence of the pandemic-hit 2021 Olympics. Local committee president Mitsugi Ogata added that the competition lived up to its slogan “Every second, SUGOI” and expanded athletics’ reach globally.

A total of 1,992 athletes from 193 countries, along with the Athlete Refugee Team, competed across nine days. Twenty nations won gold medals, while 74 countries made it into the top-eight rankings.

READ ALSO FROM SPORTING TRIBUNE