By Arinzechi Chukwunonso
Team Nigeria enjoyed another historic outing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as Goodness Nwachukwu shattered the world record to claim the country’s seventh gold medal, while Jessica Oji secured a silver medal on her debut appearance and Ezekiel Nathaniel stormed into the men’s 400m hurdles final.
Nwachukwu delivered a remarkable performance in the women’s F42-44/F61-64 discus throw, producing a sensational final-round effort of 39.66 metres to break her own F42 world record by more than three metres and clinch the Commonwealth title.
The Nigerian star finished ahead of Wales’ Funmi Oduwaiye, who claimed silver with a throw of 38.52m, while fellow Welsh athlete Bree Cronin settled for bronze after recording 36.00m.
Nigeria’s impressive medal haul continued as 19-year-old Jessica Oji announced herself on the international stage with a silver medal in the women’s shot-put event. Competing in her first major championship for the country, Oji produced a best throw of 17.87m to finish second and underline her immense potential.
On the track, Commonwealth champion Ezekiel Nathaniel strengthened his hopes of winning another medal after dominating Heat Two of the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.69 seconds to qualify for the final as the fastest overall qualifier.
Nathaniel crossed the finish line ahead of England’s Jake Minshull, who clocked 48.88 seconds, while India’s Santhosh Tamilarasan finished third in 49.51 seconds.
Meanwhile, Blessing Orakwe’s campaign in the women’s 70kg boxing event came to an end after a closely contested quarter-final bout against Australia’s Lekeisha Pergoliti. Orakwe suffered a narrow 3-2 split-decision defeat after winning two of the five judges’ scorecards.
