Nigerian Sprinter Edidiong Udo: Missing His Parents at the Commonwealth Games

For Nigerian sprinter Edidiong Udo, every race means more than just medals.

After moving forward in the men’s 400m at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Tuesday, Udo thought about the two people he really wished could see this big moment in his life; his late parents.

“My parents are my biggest motivation. It would have been a nice thing if they witnessed it,” Udo told PREMIUM TIMES in Glasgow after his race.

“I use that as motivation to make them proud wherever they are. Life happens and you just have to find a way to move on.”

A Tough Time

Udo’s emotional words come more than a year after he faced one of the hardest times in his life. A February 2025 report from EssentiallySports says that while he was chasing his athletics dreams in the United States, he lost both parents within six days.

This tragedy hit just as Udo was starting to shine on the collegiate scene. He had kicked off his season with a great time of 45.61 seconds at the Stan Scott Invitational, landing fourth on Nigeria’s all-time indoor 400m list.

Unable to quickly return home due to money and travel issues, Udo found himself mourning far away from his family. His situation touched many in the athletics world, and his Ohio State teammates set up a GoFundMe to help him go back to Nigeria and support his family during this tough time. The World Athletics Hub also shared the appeal on social media.

As the oldest of three siblings, Udo had to help arrange and pay for his parents’ burial while also handling the stress of being a first-year international student-athlete.

Even with this heavy loss, the Nigerian has shown incredible strength to rebuild his career.

A Dream Come True

The Commonwealth Games mark another big step for Udo, who thinks changing from the 800m to the 400m has changed his career for the better.

“First of all, I give God all the glory. This is very important to me because it’s a dream come true,” he said.

“It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. I tried a couple of times to make Team Nigeria, but it didn’t happen. I realised I was competing in the wrong event, so I decided to step down to the 400m, and everything just started falling into place.”

Before tragedy disrupted his first season, Udo was already making a name for himself as one of Ohio State’s top talents. He won the men’s 600m at the Rod McCravy Memorial with a meet-record time of 1:16.77, making one of the fastest runs in the programme’s history and earning Big Ten Men’s Freshman of the Week honors.

Now back running, he thinks there is still a lot of room to grow.

“All this while, I kept telling myself I was an 800m runner. This year, I had to convince myself that wasn’t really my event,” he said.

“When I return to the U.S., I’ll focus on building my endurance and getting enough rest. I know I’m strong. I know I can run faster. I just have to learn how to execute my race properly.”

Edidiong Udo is one of the semi finalists
Credit: Tunde Eludini

Inspired by Nigerian Legends

Udo also feels motivated by the recent success of Nigerian quarter-milers, with many athletes showing outstanding performances lately.

“I’m super excited because, when we were growing up, we watched legends like Innocent Egbunike and Enefiok Udo-Obong flying Nigeria’s flag and making the country one of the best in the world in the 400m,” he said.

“At some point, it felt like we had fallen behind, but this new generation of athletes knows what it takes. We are capable of competing with the very best.”

As he continues to rise in the sport, Udo says the memory of his parents pushes him in every race.