Receiving the athletes and their officials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare applauded the excellent performance of the Team which led to the harvest of 35 medals, lifting the country to 7th position on the medals table.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Ismaila Abubakar, the Minister expressed the joy of the entire country over their outstanding achievement, which was the first in the history of the nation

According to Abubakar, the character and discipline exhibited by the Team in Birmingham as well as the hard work and resources committed by the present administration to sports, added up to make the Team excel at the World level.

“We are proud of you. We are also ready to give you all the support needed to make you soar higher and higher” Abubakar said.

The Minister particularly thanked God for granting the athletes journey mercies back to Nigeria, while also appreciating President Muhammadu Buhari for creating the enabling environment that ensured the realisation of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Dare further thanked the top management and staff of the Ministry, the Nigeria Olympic Committee, (NOC), led by Habu Gumel as well as the coaches and officials for their commitment to the development of sports in the country.

• Read more: Commonwealth Games: Nigeria Finishes 7th On Medals Table

Speaking on behalf of the athletes, the two-time Commonwealth gold medallist and Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, Blessing Oborodudu, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for all his support to the Team, describing him as the father of sports in contemporary Nigeria.

She also appreciated the Sports Minister Dare, Permanent Secretary, Ismaila Abubakar and other top management staff of the Ministry, the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) as well as their coaches for giving them the much needed support, and opportunity to do the nation proud at the Commonwealth Games.

Oborududu stated further that the athletes put in their best for the Nation because of the enormous encouragement of the Federal government and sports loving Nigerians, pledging that they will continue to do Nigeria proud in subsequent competitions by breaking new and enviable world records.

Excellence 

Team Nigeria finished seventh (7th) on the overall medals table at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, claiming 35 medals after a string of record breaking performances.

Ese Brume capped what was a wonderful day for Team Nigeria on day 10 of the Commonwealth Games, securing the Gold medal in the Women’s Long Jump event at the Alexander Stadium.

In the other events concluded on Sunday, Nigerian athlete Elizabeth Oshoba also won a medal as she claimed Silver for Team Nigeria in the Women’s Boxing over 54kg-57kg Featherweight category.

As we enter the final day of #B2022, here’s how the medal table looks at the end of Day 10.

1⃣ @CommGamesAUS
2⃣ @TeamEngland
3⃣ @CwthSportCAN

Tune in tomorrow to see if it changes #Birmingham2022 #commonwealthgames pic.twitter.com/uUKmT34V5k

— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) August 7, 2022

Team Nigeria won 12 Gold, 9 Silver and 14 Bronze medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. All the Gold medals were won by the Team Nigeria Women in Birmingham.

Athletics provided the most medals for Team Nigeria with Ten (10) podium finishes, followed by wrestling with seven (7).

• Read more: Commonwealth Games: President Buhari celebrates Team Nigeria
• Read more: Ese Brume Strikes Gold In Women’s Long Jump

Team Nigeria in seventh is the highest ranked African country with South Africa and Kenya occupying the ninth and thirteenth spots, respectively.

Below is the full list of all 35 medalists for Team Nigeria at the 2022 Commonwealth Games:

List of Gold Medalists

Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Grace Nwokocha, and Tobi Amusan – Women’s 4x100m Relay

Tobi Amusan – 100m Hurdles

Ese Brume – Long Jump

Mercy Genesis Miesinnei – Wrestling (50kg)

Adekuoroye Odunayo  – Wrestling (57kg)

Blessing Oborududu – Wrestling (68kg)

Rafiatu Folashade Lawal – Weightlifting (59kg)

Olarinoye Adijat  – Weightlifting (55kg)

Oluwafemiayo Folashade  – Para Powerlifting (75kg)

Eucharia Iyiazi – F55-57 Shot Put

Chioma Onyekwere – Shot Put

Goodness Nwachukwu – Discus Throw

SILVER MEDALISTS

Favour Ofili — Women’s 200m

Elizabeth Oshoba — Women’s Featherweight boxing

Bose Omolayo — Para-powerlifting women’s heavyweight

Ifechukwude Ikpeoyi — Para-table tennis women’s singles classes 3-5

Ikechukwu Obichukwu — Para-powerlifting men’s heavyweight

Nasiru Sule — Para-table tennis men’s singles classes 3-5

Taiwo Liadi — Weightlifting women’s 76kg

Hannah Reuben — Wrestling women’s freestyle 76kg

Ebikewenimo Welson — Wrestling men’s freestyle 57kg

BRONZE MEDALISTS

Udodi Onwuzurike, Seye Ogunlewe, Favour Ashe, Alaba Akintola, Raymond Ekevwo — Men’s 4 x 100m relay

Ugochi Constance Alam — Women’s F55-57 shot put

Obiageri Amaechi — Women’s discus throw

Ifeanyi Onyekwere — Men’s super heavyweight boxing

Jacinta Umunnake — Women’s middleweight boxing

Cynthia Ogunsemilore — Women’s lightweight boxing

Innocent Nnamdi — Para-powerlifting men’s lightweight

Isau Ogunkunle — Para-table tennis men’s singles classes 3-5

Faith Obazuaye — Para-table tennis women’s singles classes 6-10

Mary Taiwo Osijo — Weightlifting women’s 87kg

Islamiyat Yusuf — Weightlifting women’s 64kg

Edidiong Umoafia — Weightlifting men’s 67kg

Ogbonna John — Wrestling men’s freestyle 74kg

Esther Kolawole — Wrestling women’s freestyle 62kg

On the last day of Athletics at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Nigerian athlete Ese Brume twice leapt to a new Games Record, jumping 7.00m (+1.6) on the nose to reclaim the Long Jump Commonwealth title she last won in the Glasgow 2014 edition.

It was a dominant display from the African Record holder, as she was simply unstoppable. World Leader, Australia’s Brooke Buschkuehl got the Silver medal jumping 6.95m (+0.5), while Ghana’s Deborah Acquah jumped a Lifetime’s Best and National Record (NR) of 6.94m (+1.8) to win Bronze.

Acquah laid down the marker on her first attempt, jumping to the NR. Having come under pressure on her first attempt, Brume knew she needed to respond if she was to avoid an upset. She then jumped 6.99m to surpass Bronwyn Thompson’s record of 6.97m from the 2006 Games.

Brume then jumped 6.99m on her 2nd attempt and instantly took the lead, but it was her perfect timing on the board that made all the difference. In a six-jump sequence, Brume jumped marks over 6.9m four times, fouling once and her least mark being 6.81m.

• Read more: Nigeria’s Relay Teams Add Gold, Bronze To Medals Tally

Apart from the 7m she jumped on her last attempt when she had already secured the Gold medal, she jumped 6.99m twice, and then 6.96m twice. All marks were good enough to win her the title.

This season, she has hit the 7m twice, jumping 7.02m to finish 2nd in at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene. With her winning mark in Birmingham, she has become the first African woman in history to jump four legal marks over 7m.

Brume has now won two Commonwealth Games titles, an Olympic Silver medal, two medals from the World Athletics Championships (Bronze & Silver), as well as multiple African titles. Since 2018, Brume has never missed out on the podium at any competition she has represented Nigeria.

Elizabeth Oshoba (Boxing)

Nigerian athlete Elizabeth Oshoba won a Silver medal for Team Nigeria in the Women’s Boxing over 54kg-57kg Featherweight category, at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Oshoba might have slipped under the radar, but she gave a good account of herself fighting against Northern Ireland’s Michaela Walsh, who won 5-0 by unanimous decision.

After two Commonwealth Games finals (2014, 2018), Walsh eventually got her hands on a Commonwealth Gold medal.

Chidi Nwoke/Making of Champions.

The Women’s and Men’s 4x100m Relay Teams of Nigeria clinched Gold and Bronze respectively, on day 10 of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, at the Alexander Stadium on Sunday.

The Women’s team had the luxury of drafting Tobi Amusan into their squad, less than two hours after she had broken the Commonwealth Games 100m Hurdles record. The quartet comprised of Amusan in the lead leg, Favour Ofili on the back straight, Rosemary Chukwuma on the 3rd leg, and Grace Nwokocha anchoring the team.

Nigeria blazed to a new African Record (AR) of 42.10s, the fastest any Nigerian female team has ever run as they claimed Gold in the event. Team England finishing 2nd, while Jamaica finished 3rd.

Amusan started well for the team Nigeria and handed over to Ofili to bring the baton to Chukwuma, who was by far the outstanding athlete in the race. Chukwuma ate up the bend in the home straight, and gave Nwokocha a comfortable lead to bring home the baton for Gold.

Men’s 4x100m

In the Men’s 4x100m final, Udodi Onwuzuruike was drafted to take the lead leg for Nigeria, replacing Seye Ogunwele who anchored in the heat.

Raymond Ekevwo moved from the lead leg to the finish, bringing home the quartet comprising of Onwuzurike, Favour Ashe and Akintola Alaba in a time of 38.85s. It crowned a good day for Nigerian sprinting, underlining what the country is capable of producing in this event.

The last time Team Nigeria had two relay teams winning medals and finishing on the podium in the 4x100m event was at the Auckland 1990 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand. The quartet of Victor Nwankwo, Davidson Ezinwa, Osmond Ezinwa and Abdullahi Tetengi won the Silver medal in the Men’s 4x100m then.

• Read more: Amusan Makes Commonwealth Games History, Wins 100m Hurdles Gold

The clocked an identical 38.85s as the team who won Bronze in Birmingham. While in the Women’s category, Beatrice Utondu, Fatima Yusuf, Charity Opara, Chioma Ajunwa ran a time of 44.67s to win the Bronze.

It goes to show that with better planning to harness the potentials at Nigeria’s disposal, the 4x100m is one event that could constantly rake in medals for the nation.

Chidi Nwoke/Making of Champions.

On day 10 of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Team Nigeria will be competing for a chance to win medals in athletics, para athletics, boxing, table tennis and para table tennis events in the United Kingdom.

Here’s the full schedule of all Team Nigeria events on day 10 of the Commonwealth Games taking place in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The times slated for the events listed are Nigerian times.

Athletics & Para Athletics

Tobi Amusan – Women’s 100mH final (10:25am)

Men’s 4x100m final (12:40pm)

Women’s 4x100m final (12:54pm)

Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro – Women’s Long Jump (7:05pm)

Nnamdi Chinecherem Prosper – Men’s Javelin Throw final (7:40pm)

Men’s 4x400m final (8:30pm)

Women’s 4x400m final (9:09pm)

• Read more: CWG: Complete List of Team Nigeria’s Medal Winners, Sports and Events

Boxing

Elizabeth Oshoba – Over 54kg-57kg (Featherweight) Final Bout (7:15pm)

Table Tennis & Para Table Tennis

Tajudeen Agunbiade –  Men’s Singles Classes 8-10 Bronze Medal  (9:30am).

Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili produced the best performance of her senior career at a major championship at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, winning her first individual medal after racing to Silver in the final of Women’s 200m event.

Ofili clocked a time of 22.51s, putting some daylight between her and Namibia’s Christine Mboma who was trying to the close the gap on her African rival. Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, who was a class apart from the rest of the field, bolted away from everyone to win Gold in the event.

Thompson stormed to a new Commonwealth Games Record of 22.02s, opening a big lead going into the home straight, and just motoring away from Ofili who cemented 2nd spot, while Mboma had to settle for Bronze in 22.80s.

Ofili has shown so much promise this season as she earlier broke Blessing Okagbare’s Nigerian Record of 22.04s, while also becoming the first Nigerian woman in history to run sub 22s when she ran 21.96s in May.

• Read more: Blessing Oborodudu Claims Gold For Team Nigeria In Wrestling

Only two African women have ever run under 22s: Mboma and Ofili, and they look like they would foster a continental rivalry that should entice the fans for many years.

The Nigerian will leave the championships a fulfilled woman, adding another individual medal to the 400m Silver medal she won three years ago at the African Games in Rabat. For now, she is honing her skills in the shorter sprints, running super fast times, and when she decides to return to the one lap, she could become unbeatable.

She makes it look so easy.

Elaine Thompson-Herah #CommonwealthGames #B2022 pic.twitter.com/EowwCWH96S

— Commonwealth Sport (@thecgf) August 6, 2022

Chidi Nwoke/Commonwealth Games/Making of Champions.

Team Nigeria athlete Blessing Oborududu has won Gold in the Women’s 68kg Freestyle Wrestling event at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, retaining the title she won four years ago in Gold Coast, Australia.

Oborududu defeated Canada’s Linda Morais 5-1 (VPO1) in the final to win Nigeria’s 2nd Gold medal in wrestling.

Her victory came a few hours after her wrestling teammate Odunayo Adekuoroye won Nigeria’s sixth gold medal in Birmingham.

Team Nigeria now has seven Gold, two Silver and Six bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games.

• Read more: Team Nigeria’s Odunayo Adekuoroye Wins Gold In Women’s Wrestling

Favour Ofili (Women’s 200m)

Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili started slowly, but picked it up and pulled away from the rest of the field, clocking 22.66s (+1.9) to win heat 1 of women’s 200m semis.

Jamaica’s Natalliah Whyte edged out Gina Bass at the line to grab the 2nd automatic spot.

Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson continued her quest for a double at the Commonwealth Games, winning the last heat of the Women’s 200m semi-finals. The Olympic champion cruised to an easy win in a time of 22.63s, the fastest time in the three heats. Natasha McDonald took the second automatic spot, finishing in 23.21s.

Chidi Nwoke/Commonwealth Games.

Team Nigeria athlete Odunayo Adekuoroye has won a Gold medal in the Women’s 57kg Freestyle wrestling event at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, beating India’s Anshu Malik 7-3 to successfully defend her crown.

Adekuoroye came under pressure in the encounter, but managed to secure Nigeria’s first Gold medal in Wrestling. This will be Adekuoroye’s 3rd consecutive Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games having won in Glasgow 2014, Goldcoast 2018 and now in Birmingham.

En route to the final, the reigning African champion defeated Canada’s Hannah Taylor in the semis in a swashbuckling 10-0 victory.

The win further increases Nigeria’s Gold medals so far to six, with more events still ahead for Team Nigeria to increase its tally at the Commonwealth Games.

Esther Kolawole

Nigeria’s Esther Kolawole only needed 20 seconds to dispatch her Scottish opponent, beating Abbie Fountain to win Bronze in the Women’s 62kg Freestyle Wrestling.

Kolawole was too good, defeating her opponent by a 10-0 victory by Technical Superiority to secure the win.

• Read more: Commonwealth Games: Team Nigeria Day 8 Preview

Udodi Onwuzuruike (Men’s 200m)

Nigerian sprinter Udodi Onwuzuruike has qualified for the 200m final, winning heat 2 of the semi-finals in a time of 20.59s.

The 19-year-old came out first from the bend running in lane 8, pushed ahead a little bit, and still had time to look over his left shoulder to beat Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, who finished in second place.

Chidi Nwoke/Commonwealth Games.

Team Nigeria athlete Tobi Amusan has qualified for the finals of the Women’s 100m Hurdles at the ongoing Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, claiming victory in a time of 12.40s (+2.4).

Amusan returned to the track for the first time since her World Record, storming to yet another win. The final is scheduled to take place on Sunday at the Alexander Arena.

Men’s 4x400m

Team Nigeria’s quartet of Johnson Nnamani, Samson Nathaniel, Ezekiel Nathaniel & Adeyemi Sikiru finished 4th in heat 1 of the Men’s 4x400m event, bringing round the baton in a time of 3:06.36.

They will have to wait for the outcome of heat 2 of the men’s 4x400m.

Team Botswana’s: Leungo Scotch, Keitumetse Maitseo, Anthony Pesela & Bayapo Ndori were the fastest quartet of the two men’s 4x400m heats, winning heat 1 in a time of 3:05.11,

They held off the challenge of Jamaica, who were 2nd fastest overall in a time of 3:05.20.

Ese Brume (Women’s Long Jump)

Nigeria’s Ese Brume is through to the final of the Women’s Long Jump event, hitting the automatic qualification mark as she lept a distance of 6.81m (+0.3) on her second attempt.

Brume will return on Sunday looking to reclaim her Commonwealths title in the Long Jump event..

• Read more: Commonwealth Games: Team Nigeria Day 8 Preview

Ruth Usoro

Ruth Usoro also booked her spot in the Women’s Long Jump final, jumping a mark of 6.59m to finish joint 7th overall alongside Abigail Irozuru.

Yet again, Usoro qualifies for the final of the Long Jump event at a major Championship, her 3rd in 2022. She will be back again this evening, targeting an historic feat of making the triple jump final.

Chidi Nwoke/Making of Champions.