Incredible Nathaniel, Nse Uko run huge lifetime bests in 400m
Duo moves to third and sixth respectively in Nigerian all-time list
Ezekiel Nathaniel ran inside 46 seconds for the second time in two days to place third in the men’s 400m indoor event at the Big 12 Indoor Championships held at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas.
The 19 year Nigeria 400m hurdles record holder ran 45.77 to set a new lifetime best in the 400m flat barely 24 hours after he became the fifth bonafide Nigerian to run inside 46 seconds in history.
Nathaniel who showed signs of things to come after running 46.57 in his debut race over the distance last month at the Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational held at the Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Nigerian raced inside 47 seconds two more times before coming to the Big 12 Indoor Championships where he set a new lifetime best of 45.90 in his semifinal heat. This pushed him equal in third position on the Nigerian all-time list with the great Innocent Egbunike.
Nathaniel returned to the same track a day later to run a huge lifetime best of 45.77 which catapualts him to a stand alone third on the all-time list behind African record holder, Siunday Bada (45.51) and Kunle Fasasi (45.57).
In the women’s version, Imaobong Nse Uko, who is also a student-athlete at Baylor University with Nathaniel looks to be fulfiling expectations as she became the sixth fastest Nigerian ever over the 400m after racing to a new 52.19 lifetime best.
The Nigerian was third in the event won by Irish-Nigerian, Rashidat Adeleke who raced to what would have become a new Nigerian and African record with her 50.33 return.
For Nse Uko, the time places her behind 1 50.73 Charity Opara (50.73), Regina George (51.05), Falilat Ogunkoya (51.25), Kudirat Akhigbe (51.81) and Olabisi Afolabi (52.15).
