The men’s 400m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo ended in high drama on Friday, after the United States’ Rai Benjamin was briefly disqualified before being reinstated as the gold medal winner.
Benjamin, who crossed the line first in 46.12 seconds, was initially disqualified for allegedly knocking down a hurdle in violation of competition rules.
His disqualification triggered a reshuffle of the medal standings, with Norway’s Karsten Warholm, who clocked 46.27s, briefly upgraded to gold, Brazil’s Alison dos Santos (third in 46.78s) to silver, and Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel, who had finished fourth in a national record time of 47.15s, momentarily promoted to bronze.
For a short period, the Nigerian camp celebrated what would have been Nathaniel’s historic first World Championship medal.
However, the United States team immediately protested, presenting video evidence to officials that showed Benjamin had not gained any unfair advantage from the hurdle incident.
Following a review, World Athletics officials overturned the disqualification, reinstating Benjamin as the gold medal winner.
Warholm was confirmed as the silver medalist and dos Santos took bronze, while Nathaniel, despite his record-breaking run, was pushed back to fourth.
Despite losing the medal, Nathaniel’s achievement remains a milestone. He became the first Nigerian ever to reach a World Championships final in the men’s 400m hurdles since 1987.
The dramatic turn of events, played out in front of a packed Tokyo Olympic Stadium, has sparked debate among athletes and fans alike about the consistency of officiating and the emotional toll on competitors when results are altered after the finish line.
