Bronze was the colour of the day for Team Nigeria on Day 5 of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, as the nation’s athletes added two podium finishes while delivering several spirited performances across athletics, weightlifting, swimming and boxing in Glasgow.
Kayinsola Ajayi (Men’s 100m)
Athlete Kayinsola Ajayi made history by becoming the first Nigerian man to win a 100m medal at the Commonwealth Games in 20 years, securing Bronze in a time of 9.90s.
His bronze medal ended a long wait since Olusoji Fasuba won silver at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, reaffirming Nigeria’s return as a force in the blue-riband event.
Cameroonian Emmanuel Eseme won Gold in a Games Record of 9.83s.
Temitope Adeshina (Women’s high jump)
Nigeria’s second medal of the day came through Temitope Adeshina, who claimed bronze in the women’s high jump after clearing 1.90m.
The Nigerian made a significant improvement from her 10th-place finish on her Commonwealth Games debut four years earlier.
In the women’s hammer throw final, Sade Olatoye finished eighth with a best mark of 63.27m, recorded on her third attempt. Canada’s Camryn Rogers claimed gold with a Commonwealth Games record throw of 74.91m.
Earlier in the evening, Miracle Ezechukwu produced another encouraging performance in the women’s 100m semifinals. Running in difficult, rainy conditions, the Commonwealth Games debutant clocked 11.23s to finish fourth, narrowly missing out on a place in the final.
In the men’s 100m semifinals, Favour Ashe narrowly missed out on a place in the final after clocking 10.07s to finish fifth in his race. Nicholas Fakorede also fell just short of qualification, finishing fourth in 10.06s.
Rosemary Chukwuma
It was an unfortunate outing for Rosemary Chukwuma, whose semifinal ended prematurely. The Nigerian made a strong start but appeared to suffer an injury midway through the race, eventually crossing the line in 11.82s before limping off the track.
Nigeria’s sprint hopes were also dealt a blow before the semifinals, as Blessing Ogundiran, who had been scheduled to compete in the women’s 100m semifinal, was unable to start.
The quarter-mile events brought more encouraging news for Team Nigeria. Edidiong Udo enjoyed a dream international debut over 400m, storming to victory in his opening-round heat in 45.73s, finishing almost a second clear of the field to book his place in the semifinals.
In the women’s 400m, Patience Okon-George qualified automatically for the semifinals after finishing fourth in her heat in 53.27s, while Esther Elo Joseph also advanced by placing third in 52.82s, securing her first Commonwealth Games 400m semifinal appearance.
There was more success in the pool as Abduljabar Adama and Colins Ebingha both qualified for the men’s 50m butterfly semifinals.
Adama finished fourth in his heat in 23.99s, while Ebingha followed closely in fifth with a time of 24.01s, giving Nigeria two semifinalists in the event.
In weightlifting, Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele finished seventh in the women’s 63kg event with a total lift of 193kg. She recorded 88kg in the snatch before adding 105kg in the clean & jerk.
In boxing, Patricia Mbata exited the women’s 75kg competition after a closely contested 3-2 split-decision defeat to England’s Mary Kate Smith in the quarterfinals. Mbata pushed her opponent all the way but narrowly missed out on a place in the semifinals.
