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Not every athlete has a smooth path.
Some become champions right away. Others face disappointment before they finally shine.
For Team Nigeria, the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games was all about second chances.
Many athletes who left Birmingham 2022 disappointed came back four years later to change their stories with medals and great performances.
PREMIUM TIMES highlights five athletes who showed that with patience, hard work, and belief, everything can change.
Ezekiel Nathaniel: From sixth place to Commonwealth champion
Ezekiel Nathaniel’s journey is one of the biggest comeback stories of the Games.
In the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, he came sixth in the men’s 400m hurdles final. It was a valuable lesson, but not the result he wanted.
Instead of giving up, Nathaniel worked hard and improved. Over the next four years, he became Nigeria’s national record holder and one of the best 400m hurdlers in the world.
In Glasgow, he returned as a different athlete.
He won the gold medal with a time of 48.47 seconds, becoming the first Nigerian man to win a Commonwealth Games title in this event.
The athlete who finished sixth in Birmingham returned from Glasgow as a champion.
Nathaniel shared with PREMIUM TIMES in Glasgow how proud he was to be the first Nigerian to win a Commonwealth Games Gold medal in the men’s 400m hurdles.
“That means a lot because it means I’m the first to do it. It sets the standard for anyone coming after me,” the police officer said.
Temitope Adeshina: From 10th to the podium
Temitope Adeshina also showed what hard work can achieve.
She finished 10th in the women’s high jump at Birmingham 2022, missing out on the medals.
Instead of letting that setback define her, she kept improving through the NCAA circuit and international competitions.
Her efforts paid off in Glasgow, where she cleared 1.90 metres to win bronze, giving Nigeria another athletics medal.
This was not just a great comeback; it was historic because Nigeria had not won a medal in this event for over 70 years.
Adeshina told PREMIUM TIMES how proud she was to reach the podium against all odds.
“Everyone sees it as a bronze medal, but to me, it’s as good as gold because I know everything I went through to get here. That’s why I’m happy. For me, it’s a gold medal, and I’m proud that I was able to make history,” she said.
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi: Finally getting his gold
For years, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi has been Nigeria’s top shot put athlete.
He had won African titles, represented Nigeria at the Olympics and World Championships, and often competed against the world’s best.
But one title was missing, the Commonwealth Games gold medal.
In Glasgow, he finally got it.
His throw of 21.07 metres earned him gold and made him the first Nigerian to win the men’s shot put at the Commonwealth Games.
For Enekwechi, this was the reward for years of hard work.
“It means a lot to me, eight years after winning a silver medal, I finally won the gold. The distance I threw doesn’t really matter, only the gold matters to me now,” Enekwechi, who was Team Nigeria Athletics Captain, told PREMIUM TIMES in Glasgow.
Ruth Usoro: From late replacement to silver medallist
Ruth Usoro almost did not compete in Glasgow.
She was not in Nigeria’s original team and only joined after long jump star Ese Brume became unavailable.
Usoro also had something to prove.
She finished sixth in the long jump at Birmingham 2022 and wanted to do better if another chance came.
When that chance arrived, she took it.
Her opening jump of 6.87 metres won her the silver medal, which is her first major international outdoor medal.
Usoro justified Nigeria’s decision to include her in the team after Ese Brume was declared unfit to compete in Glasgow.
For Usoro, her medal was quite “divine.”
“Going out there, I was just praying, ‘God help me. I just want to bring glory to your name. I just want to bring the medal and make my family, my friends, my coach, and my team proud.’ I’m glad this happened. I’m just so thankful to God,” Usoro told PREMIUM TIMES in Glasgow.
Udodi Onwuzurike: From sixth to silver
Sprinter Udodi Onwuzurike also had his moment of redemption.
At the Birmingham 2022 Games, he finished sixth in the men’s 200 metres final.
Four years later in Glasgow, he returned stronger and more experienced.
Onwuzurike ran an impressive race to win silver in the men’s 200m, clocking a season’s best of 20.09 seconds.
He later helped Nigeria win bronze in the men’s 4x100m relay, rounding off a great championship.
His performance showed how much he had improved since Birmingham.
“It feels really good to come down here to Glasgow and win this silver medal. The season has had a lot of ups and downs, but thank God, I have something to show for my efforts,” Udodi said.
A Games to remember
With 10 gold medals in the bag, Team Nigeria is on track to finish the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as Africa’s top nation, thanks largely to athletes who refused to let past disappointments hold them back.
Sometimes, the biggest wins belong to those who keep believing, keep working, and don’t give up.
That is why Glasgow 2026 will be remembered not just as the Glasgow Games but as Team Nigeria’s Redemption Games.
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