Favour Ashe had an impressive showing on the last day of the 2026 Commonwealth Games National Trials in Lagos on Tuesday. He ran a personal best of 9.93 seconds to win the men’s 100m title at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex.
The athlete from Delta State set the stage early with a wind-assisted time of 9.97 seconds in the semi-finals. He then came back to clock a legal 9.93 seconds in the final. This time improved his previous personal best of 9.94 seconds, which he set in the United States in 2024.
Ashe competed against a strong field. Adekalu Fakorede finished in second place with a personal best of 9.98 seconds. Chidera Ezeakor, the reigning National Sports Festival champion, took third place with a personal best of 10.03 seconds.
After his win, Ashe talked about the challenges he faced over the past year. He mentioned visa issues that affected his training plans abroad.
“These past years have been tough, I didn’t get my visa back to the US. The fans didn’t know of that. I was in Nigeria training,” Ashe said.
He continued, “Because of the pressure, I went to Qatar, not because of the money. I went to Qatar because I just wanted to feel myself again. This year, the AFN President (Tonobok Okowa) called me to come back to Nigeria. So, I had to take that decision because I knew if I come back to Nigeria, I’ll be more disciplined, so I’m happy to get the win.”
The trials wrapped up on Tuesday. Champions also emerged in the men’s and women’s 200m, the men’s 110m hurdles, women’s 100m hurdles, and other events. Selectors are finalising Nigeria’s athletics team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The Games will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2. Nigeria is expected to announce its final athletics team in the coming days.
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