Despite a challenging fifth day at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Team Nigeria remains the highest-ranked African nation on the medals table.
After Day Five, Nigeria occupies fifth position with 12 medals—six gold, four silver and two bronze. Hosts Scotland moved ahead into fourth place after increasing their tally to seven gold medals, while Australia, Canada and England occupy the top three positions.
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Although Nigeria did not add to its gold medal count on Tuesday, the team picked up two bronze medals through sprinter Kayinsola Ajayi and high jumper Temitope Adeshina.
Ajayi clocked 9.90 seconds to finish third in the men’s 100 metres final, becoming the first Nigerian man to win a Commonwealth Games 100m medal since Olusoji Fasuba claimed silver at the 2006 Games in Melbourne.
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Adeshina also reached the podium after clearing 1.90m to win bronze in the women’s high jump, a significant improvement from her 10th-place finish on her Commonwealth Games debut four years ago.
While the two bronze medals added to Nigeria’s tally, they fell short of expectations after the country’s athletes had entered Tuesday with realistic hopes of more podium finishes, particularly in athletics.
The day, however, produced some encouraging performances that kept Nigeria in contention across multiple events.
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In the women’s 400m, Patience Okon-George qualified automatically for the semifinals after finishing fourth in her heat in 53.27 seconds, while Esther Elo Joseph secured her first Commonwealth Games 400m semifinal appearance by placing third in 52.82 seconds. Ella Onojuvwevwo had already received a bye into the semifinals, giving Nigeria three representatives in the event.
In the men’s 400m, Edidiong Udo enjoyed a dream international debut for Nigeria, storming to victory in his opening-round heat in 45.73 seconds, finishing almost a second clear of the field to join Samuel Ogazi in the semifinals.
Nigeria also recorded progress in the pool as Abduljabar Adama and Collins Ebingha qualified for the men’s 50m butterfly semifinals. Adama finished fourth in his heat in 23.99 seconds, while Ebingha followed closely in fifth with 24.01 seconds.
Near misses
There were also near misses on the track. Miracle Ezechukwu produced another encouraging performance in the women’s 100m semifinals, clocking 11.23 seconds in difficult rainy conditions to finish fourth, narrowly missing out on a place in the final.
In the men’s 100m semifinals, Favour Ashe missed out on qualification after finishing fifth in 10.07 seconds, while Nicholas Fakorede placed fourth in 10.06 seconds, just outside the qualification spots.
Nigeria’s women’s sprint campaign also suffered setbacks. Rosemary Chukwuma appeared to sustain an injury midway through her semifinal, eventually finishing in 11.82 seconds before limping off the track, while Blessing Ogundiran was unable to start her semifinal race.
In the women’s hammer throw final, Sade Olatoye finished eighth with a best throw of 63.27m, as Canada’s Camryn Rogers claimed gold with a Commonwealth Games record of 74.91m.
Elsewhere, Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele placed seventh in the women’s 63kg weightlifting event with a combined lift of 193kg, comprising 88kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk.
Nigeria also suffered disappointment in boxing as Patricia Mbata exited the women’s 75kg competition following a closely contested 3-2 split-decision defeat to England’s Mary Kate Smith in the quarterfinals.
Nevertheless, Team Nigeria remains the highest-ranked African nation on the medals table. South Africa sits seventh with four gold medals, while Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Cameroon are further down the standings.
Nigeria’s campaign has been driven largely by outstanding performances in para powerlifting and weightlifting.
READ ALSO: Glasgow 2026: Ajayi, Adeshina deliver athletics bronze medals for Nigeria
The country’s six gold medals have come from Esther Nworgu, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, Riluwan Idris, Edidiong Umoafia, Onome Didih and Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, with several of those victories producing Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth and world records.
With the athletics programme entering its decisive stages, including the 400m semifinals and relay events, Team Nigeria still has several opportunities to add to its medal haul and consolidate its position among the leading nations before the Games conclude on 2 August.
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