Nigeria finished 27th on the medal table at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, claiming just one silver medal as the event set new benchmarks for global reach and participation.
The country’s sole medal came through Tobi Amusan, who clinched silver in the women’s 100m hurdles, further cementing her reputation as Nigeria’s most consistent international performer.
Ezekiel Nathaniel also impressed by breaking his own national record in the men’s 400m hurdles with a time of 47.11s. He initially finished fourth but was momentarily promoted to third after the disqualification of Rai Benjamin before results were reviewed.
Other notable highlights included Kanyinsola Ajayi reaching the men’s 100m final, where he placed sixth, and Udodi Onwuzurike advancing to the men’s 200m semi-final. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi also delivered a strong fifth-place finish in the men’s long jump.
Despite these individual efforts, many of Nigeria’s 15-athlete delegation were unable to progress past the early rounds. In the field events, Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons, Obiageri Amaechi, Sade Olatoye, Prestina Ochonogor, Ese Brume, and Charles Godfred fell short.
Nigeria’s single silver placed it in joint 27th position with 12 other nations, including Algeria, Greece, and Ireland. The United States topped the table with 16 gold medals and 26 overall, while Kenya, Canada, the Netherlands, and Botswana completed the top five.
World Athletics described the 2025 championships as the “most impactful in history,” citing record-breaking attendance of 619,000 fans, 700 million video views on social media, and unprecedented TV ratings worldwide.
