Nigeria’s outing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo ended with the nation placing 27th overall, their tally marked by a single silver medal. The global meet itself went down as the most far-reaching in history, smashing previous records for scale and audience.
The standout for Team Nigeria was Tobi Amusan, who once again proved her reliability on the international stage by storming to second place in the women’s 100m hurdles. Her silver ensured the country did not leave Tokyo empty-handed.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, Ezekiel Nathaniel ran the best race of his career, lowering his national record to 47.11 seconds. Though he crossed the line in fourth, a brief disqualification drama involving Rai Benjamin had momentarily pushed him into medal territory.
Other athletes also offered moments of encouragement. Kanyinsola Ajayi reached the final of the men’s 100m and took sixth, Udodi Onwuzurike progressed to the 200m semi-finals, while Chukwuebuka Enekwechi finished fifth in the long jump.
At the top end of the table, the United States ran away with 16 golds and 26 medals in total. They were followed by Kenya, Canada, the Netherlands and Botswana. Remarkably, 53 nations registered medals — the highest number in the championship’s history, surpassing the 46 achieved in Budapest (2023) and Osaka (2007).
Fans were treated to one world record, nine championship records, and nine continental bests. Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis provided the defining moment by pushing the pole vault world record to 6.30m. Samoa, Saint Lucia, and Uruguay all earned their first medals on the world stage, while Tanzania captured a maiden gold.
There were also stunning individual displays: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the U.S. swept the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay; Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet and Spain’s Maria Perez both claimed double victories; Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone produced 47.78 seconds in the women’s 400m — the second fastest time ever recorded; and Canada’s Ethan Katzberg reset the championship hammer throw record with 84.70m.
Organisers confirmed the event drew over 619,000 spectators, eclipsing the previous attendance record set in Tokyo in 1991. TV audiences soared, with more than 12 million people in Japan watching the opening day and three-quarters of Sweden tuning in for Duplantis’ heroics. On social media, video views hit 700 million, while media coverage had a reach estimated at 180 billion.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe called the tournament “a championships for the ages”, praising Tokyo for restoring packed stadiums after the empty stands of the pandemic Olympics. Local chief Mitsugi Ogata agreed, saying the competition lived up to its theme “Every second, SUGOI.”
In total, 1,992 athletes representing 193 nations plus the Athlete Refugee Team competed. Twenty countries claimed gold, while 74 managed top-eight finishes across nine days of action.
