Nigeria celebrated a remarkable performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games as Ezekiel Nathaniel stormed to victory, claiming the gold medal, while Udodi Onwuzurike delivered an outstanding run to secure silver.
Their achievements underscore the nation’s growing dominance on the international athletics stage and highlight the resilience, talent, and determination of Nigerian athletes competing against the world’s best.
The 23-year-old surpassed the record set by Kingsley Agbabokha, who won silver at the Commonwealth Games in 1996 when the event was referred to as the 440-yard hurdles.
He was in a class of his own in the final, beating England’s Jake Minshull, who broke 49 seconds to take silver, while Assinie Wilson of Jamaica earned bronze.
Nathaniel becomes the first person to win gold for Nigeria on the track in Glasgow. Hurdler Tobi Amusan, who was a gold medal hopeful, finished third in the 100m hurdles, while Kanyinsola Ajayi also ended with bronze.
Meanwhile, there was another medal for Nigeria in the men’s 200 metres after Udodi Onwuzurike produced a season-best performance to win silver.
Onwuzurike, 23, crossed the finish line in 20.09 seconds. He finished second behind Sinesipho Dambile of South Africa, who claimed gold in 19.96 seconds.
Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor took the bronze medal after a run of 20.11 seconds in the sprint final on Friday.
The Nigerian executed a strong bend and battled hard in the home straight before narrowly holding off Taylor to claim silver in Glasgow.
Their victories add to Nigeria’s increasing medal haul at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
