Nwachukwu Smashes World Record, Wins Nigeria’s Seventh Gold at Glasgow 2026 as Oji Bags Silver
Oru Leonard
Team Nigeria enjoyed another spectacular outing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as para-athlete Goodness Nwachukwu shattered a world record to claim the country’s seventh gold medal, while Jessica Oji secured a historic silver medal on her Commonwealth Games debut and Ezekiel Nathaniel stormed into the men’s 400m hurdles final as the fastest qualifier.
Nwachukwu delivered the performance of her career in the women’s F42-44/F61-64 discus throw, producing a sensational final-round throw of 39.66 metres to break her own F42 world record by more than three metres and clinch the Commonwealth Games title.
The remarkable effort placed her ahead of Wales’ Funmi Oduwaiye, who claimed silver with 38.52m, while compatriot Bree Cronin settled for bronze after throwing 36.00m.
Nigeria’s medal tally received another boost through 19-year-old Jessica Oji, who impressed in her first major championship appearance for the country by winning silver in the women’s shot put with a best throw of 17.87 metres.
On the track, Commonwealth champion Ezekiel Nathaniel underlined his gold-medal ambitions after winning Heat Two of the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.69 seconds, qualifying for the final as the fastest athlete across all heats. He finished ahead of England’s Jake Minshull (48.88s) and India’s Santhosh Tamilarasan (49.51s).
In boxing, Blessing Orakwe bowed out of the women’s 70kg competition after a closely fought quarterfinal against Australia’s Lekeisha Pergoliti. Orakwe narrowly lost via a 3-2 split decision after convincing two of the five judges, ending an impressive campaign for Team Nigeria.
Earlier in the day, Team Nigeria had opened Day Six strongly, with Chukwuebuka Enekwechi qualifying comfortably for the men’s shot put final after exceeding the automatic qualification mark with a first-round throw of 20.03 metres.
On the sprint track, Jennifer Obi Chukwuka announced herself on the Commonwealth stage by winning her women’s 200m heat in a personal best of 23.26 seconds to book a place in the semifinals. Olayinka Olajide also advanced after finishing third in her heat with 23.62 seconds.
In the men’s 200m, Udodi Onwuzurike produced one of Nigeria’s standout performances of the morning session, winning Heat Five in 20.31 seconds to progress to the semifinals, while Alaba Akintola narrowly missed out after placing third in his heat.
The evening programme also featured Mary Osijo in the women’s 86kg weightlifting final, Goodness Nwachukwu and Destiny Agbo in the women’s para discus throw, and Ifeanyi Christian in the men’s T47 100m final as Nigeria continued its quest for more medals.
With Nwachukwu’s record-breaking gold and Oji’s silver medal adding to the nation’s impressive tally, Team Nigeria maintained its strong momentum in Glasgow, reinforcing its status as one of the leading nations at the 2026 Commonwealth Games through outstanding performances, world-class records and growing medal success.
