The Chief Executive Officer of Elite Athletes Development and Podium Board of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Yusuf Ali, has revealed that rave of the moment, United States-based 400m runner, Ezekiel Nathaniel, is one of the athletes that is being groomed for glory at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
 
Nathaniel punched his ticket to the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships billed for later this month in Virginia, United States, with his performance at the 2025 Big 12 Championships in Texas, at the weekend, where he won the 400m title with an improved African record of 44.74-seconds.
 
Nathaniel made history last month when he ran 44.92 seconds to become the first African man to run inside 45 seconds over the full lap race indoors, breaking Sunday Bada’s 45.51 African record set at the World Indoor Championships in 1997 in Paris, France.
 
Speaking with The Guardian, yesterday, Ali said that the 21-year-old Nathanial, who specialises in 400m hurdles outdoors is among athletes in Category A list of the Elite Athletes Development and Podium Board.
 
“I always stay awake to watch our top athletes whenever they compete in the U.S.,” Ali said. “I was excited seeing Nathaniel run an improved African record of 44.74 seconds in Texas. He is one of those in the top category on our list. Very soon, we will start giving grants to the athletes to kick-start our preparation for all the major championships ahead.
 
“Nathaniel is one of the athletes we are preparing for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. He is young, and I feel he has the potential to give Nigeria a medal if he is given the preparation he needs. The likes of Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Favour Ofili, and Blessing Oborodudu are in our Category A,” he said.

Ali stated that the 2028 Olympics will be a major test of how much the board’s effectiveness has gone, adding: “And this would have been manifesting in other international sporting engagements by the country before the time, including the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
 
“Sports is a huge business, and that is the objective of the leadership of the NSC. The idea behind the setting up of the Elite Sports Development and Podium Performance is not just to positively reposition the Nigerian sporting industry to rank with the very best in the world, but also to make it into what it should be, which is a multi-million naira generating industry both for the nation and for participants in the industry.
 
“The attainment of excellent international sporting performance begins with the proper implementation of sound national sporting policies, which is the major mandate of the leadership of the NSC. The great elite performance involves ensuring sound talent identification and development, training and re-training of coaches and ensuring proper fund allocation as at when due to ensure excellent participation spirit in all sporting engagements,” Ali stated.