Tobi Amusan Finishes Second at Prefontaine Classic, Nathaniel Ezekiel Third

Kenyan Chebet becomes first woman ever to run the 5,000m world record in under 14 minutes

 Duro Ikhazuagbe

Nigeria’s world record holder in Women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, stormed to a second place finish at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, USA last night  with a time of 12.38secs.

Amusan was beaten to first position by Jamaican Ackera Nugent who clocked 12.32secs to win the race in the loaded field. American Kendra Harrison was third in 12.50secs.

With the 20th World Championships barely two months away in September in Tokyo, Japan, Amusan has restated her claim to the event where she reigned supreme at the 2022 incidentally at the same Eugene where she set the World Record of 12.12secs .

In the Men’s 400m hurdles, Nigeria’s Nathaniel Ezekiel finished third behind Brazil’s Alison dos Santos and American Rai Benjamin.

Nathaniel who is the reigning NCAA 400m hurdles champion and has enjoyed a stellar 2025 season, clocked 47.88sec to finish third while Santos pipped Olympic gold medallist and the world-leading Benjamin in the men’s 400m hurdles race. Dos Santos clocks a season-best time of 46.65secs, ahead of Benjamin’s 46.71secs to win the race.

Ezekieli incidentally won the US collegiate title here in Eugene with a time of 47.49s and earlier in the year set a new African indoor record in the 400m with a time of 44.74s.

Three other Nigerian athletes, Favour Ofili, seventh-ranked shot putter, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, and sprinter Rosemary Chukwuma were in late actions at the Classics which is also a Wanda Diamond League leg of the World Athletics series.

However, the biggest news last night was the 5,000 new world record set by Kenyan runner, Beatrice Chebet. She made history as the first woman to run the 5,000m in under 14 minutes!

Chebet’s new 13:58.06 obliterated Gudaf Tsegay’s previous 14:00.21secs World Record time by 2 seconds! Tsegay set the previous record at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic. Agnes Jebet Ngetich finished second in a personal best 14:01.29. Tsegay was third in 14:04.41