Nigeria Stays Top of Africa at Glasgow 2026 After Mixed Day Five

Despite a tough fifth day at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Team Nigeria remains the highest-ranked African nation on the medals table.

After Day Five, Nigeria is in fifth place with 12 medals: six gold, four silver, and two bronze. Hosts Scotland moved up to fourth place after boosting their gold medal count to seven. Australia, Canada, and England hold the top three spots.

Nigeria did not add to its gold medal tally on Tuesday. But the team secured two bronze medals from sprinter Kayinsola Ajayi and high jumper Temitope Adeshina.

Ajayi finished third in the men’s 100 metres final with a time of 9.90 seconds. He is now the first Nigerian man to win a Commonwealth Games 100m medal since Olusoji Fasuba took silver in 2006 in Melbourne.

Adeshina also made it to the podium, clearing 1.90m to win bronze in the women’s high jump. This is a big improvement from her 10th-place finish during her Commonwealth Games debut four years ago.

While the two bronze medals added to Nigeria’s total, they did not meet expectations. The athletes had come into Tuesday hoping for more medals, especially in athletics.

However, the day had some bright spots. In the women’s 400m, Patience Okon-George qualified automatically for the semifinals after coming fourth in her heat with a time of 53.27 seconds. Esther Elo Joseph also made it to her first Commonwealth Games 400m semifinal by finishing third in 52.82 seconds. Ella Onojuvwevwo had already secured a bye into the semifinals, giving Nigeria three runners in this event.

In the men’s 400m, Edidiong Udo had a fantastic international debut for Nigeria. He won his opening-round heat in 45.73 seconds, finishing nearly a second ahead of the pack. He will join Samuel Ogazi in the semifinals.

Nigeria also saw success in the pool. Abduljabar Adama and Collins Ebingha qualified for the men’s 50m butterfly semifinals. Adama finished fourth in his heat in 23.99 seconds, while Ebingha was fifth with a time of 24.01 seconds.

There were some near misses on the track. Miracle Ezechukwu had a strong run in the women’s 100m semifinals, finishing fourth in 11.23 seconds despite the rainy conditions. She just missed out on a spot in the final.

In the men’s 100m semifinals, Favour Ashe finished fifth in 10.07 seconds and did not qualify. Nicholas Fakorede was fourth in 10.06 seconds, also falling short of qualification.

Nigeria’s women’s sprint team faced challenges. Rosemary Chukwuma seemed to get injured during her semifinal and finished in 11.82 seconds before limping off the track. Blessing Ogundiran could not start her semifinal race.

In the women’s hammer throw final, Sade Olatoye came in eighth place with a best throw of 63.27m. Canada’s Camryn Rogers won gold with a Commonwealth Games record of 74.91m.

In other events, Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele placed seventh in the women’s 63kg weightlifting competition with a total lift of 193kg, 88kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk.

Nigeria faced disappointment in boxing too. Patricia Mbata lost in the women’s 75kg competition after a close 3-2 split-decision defeat to England’s Mary Kate Smith in the quarterfinals.

Despite these challenges, Team Nigeria remains the top African nation on the medals table. South Africa is in seventh place with four gold medals, while Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Cameroon are further behind.

Nigeria’s success has come mainly from strong performances in para powerlifting and weightlifting. The country’s six gold medals have been won by Esther Nworgu, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, Riluwan Idris, Edidiong Umoafia, Onome Didih, and Rafiatu Folashade Lawal. Some of these victories set Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth, and world records.

As the athletics events get to their crucial stages, including the 400m semifinals and relays, Team Nigeria still has chances to boost its medal count before the Games end on 2 August.