Three of Nigeria’s top athletes are featured prominently in the 2025 World Athletics rankings, indicating that the country has started 2026 on a good note.
Leading the charge was world record holder Tobi Amusan, who finished in the top three in her event. Ezekiel Nathaniel and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi were also acknowledged by the world’s top competitors.
Known as the “queen of the hurdles,” Amusan ended the year as the third-best 100-meter hurdler in the world. With 1,430 ranking points, she was only behind Grace Stark of the United States and Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland.
The 28-year-old, who won silver at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships, is ranked 28th in the year’s overall women’s standings and is the only Nigerian woman to be in the top five of her discipline.
The 22-year-old Nathaniel, who finished the season as the fifth-ranked 400-meter hurdler worldwide and 15th in the men’s overall rankings, proved to be one of the most intriguing prospects on the track.
The young man created history by becoming the first Nigerian to run the 400-meter hurdles in less than 48 seconds nine times. He also set a national record of 47.11 seconds, which was only one hundredth of a second slower than the African record set by Samuel Matete of Zambia. Additionally, he had a tremendous Diamond League debut, making it to the final and finishing third.
Shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi kept up her impressive performance in the field events. After finishing fifth in Tokyo, he ended the year ranked seventh in his discipline, earning the 100th position in the men’s standings overall.
The only Nigerian athletes to finish the 2025 season in the top 10 of their respective disciplines are Amusan, Nathaniel, and Enekwechi.
