Glasgow 2026: Ajayi Ends 20-Year Sprint Medal Drought as Team Nigeria Records Strong Day Five Performances
Oru Leonard
Team Nigeria delivered another memorable outing at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, combining impressive qualification performances in athletics and swimming with two bronze medals to maintain their strong push on the medals table.
The day began brightly for Team Nigeria as several athletes advanced to the semifinals in athletics and swimming, setting the tone for an action-packed evening session.
Edidiong Udo announced himself in style, winning Heat One of the men’s 400 metres in 45.73 seconds to qualify for the semifinals. Competing in his first international 400m race for Nigeria, Udo won his heat by almost a full second to join Samuel Ogazi in the semifinals, giving Team Nigeria two representatives in the men’s event.
In the women’s 400 metres, Esther Elo Joseph secured automatic qualification for her maiden Commonwealth Games semifinal after finishing third in her heat in 52.82 seconds. She progressed alongside experienced campaigner Patience Okon-George, who also advanced after placing fourth in her heat with a time of 53.27 seconds. Together with Ella Onojuvwevwo, Nigeria had three athletes in the women’s 400m semifinals.
Team Nigeria also impressed in the pool as Abduljabar Adama and Colins Ebingha both advanced to the men’s 50m butterfly semifinals. Adama finished fourth in his heat in 23.99 seconds, while Ebingha followed closely in fifth with a time of 24.01 seconds.
The evening session produced more success as Kayinsola Ajayi etched his name into the history books by winning bronze in the men’s 100 metres, becoming the first Nigerian male sprinter in 20 years to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the event.
Ajayi’s podium finish ended Nigeria’s two-decade wait since Olusoji Fasuba claimed silver at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme won gold in a new Games record of 9.83 seconds, while Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy took silver in 9.85 seconds.
Nigeria’s sprint campaign also saw Favour Ashe narrowly miss out on the final after placing fifth in his semifinal with a time of 10.07 seconds, while Nicholas Fakorede came agonisingly close to qualification, finishing fourth in his semifinal in 10.06 seconds.
In the field events, Temitope Adeshina added another bronze medal to Nigeria’s tally after clearing 1.90 metres in the women’s high jump. She finished behind Australia’s Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers, marking a remarkable improvement from her 10th-place finish on her Commonwealth Games debut four years ago.
Nigeria’s women’s 100m campaign was disrupted by injuries and illness. Blessing Ogundiran was unable to start her semifinal after falling ill, while Rosemary Chukwuma suffered an apparent injury during her race and courageously completed the event. Seventeen-year-old Games debutant Miracle Ezechukwu battled through difficult rainy conditions to finish fourth in semifinal three with a time of 11.23 seconds.
There was further good news in the pool as Abduljabar Adama advanced to the men’s 50m butterfly final, keeping Nigeria’s hopes of another swimming medal alive.
In boxing, Patricia Mbata bowed out of the women’s 75kg event after a spirited performance against England’s Mary Kate Smith. Mbata pushed her opponent all the way before losing a narrow 3-2 split decision in the quarterfinals, falling just short of a place in the semifinals.
Team Nigeria also remained active in other events, including the women’s hammer throw and wheelchair women’s 3×3 basketball, as the country’s athletes continued their quest for more medals in Glasgow.
With six gold medals already secured and additional medals won in athletics, Team Nigeria remains firmly on course for a strong overall finish at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
(Kola Daniel, S.A. Media to DG, NSC, July 28, 2026)
