Praise Ugoh Wins Gold in 400m at Youth Olympics

Nigeria’s Praise Ugoh made history at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Monday. She became the first Nigerian woman to win the 400m title. Ugoh set a personal best of 52.76 seconds to take home the gold medal.

In the final, Ugoh ran impressively, finishing ahead of Venezuela’s Osmary Pacheco. Pacheco finished with a time of 52.85 seconds. Aisha Muhammed from the United Arab Emirates took the bronze with a time of 53.06 seconds.

Ugoh’s win was a major highlight for Nigeria’s athletics team in Dakar. This victory adds to the country’s growing number of medals at the Games.

She reached the final on Sunday after finishing second in her semi-final heat. She clocked 54.38 seconds, while Pacheco led that race with 53.01 seconds.

Ugoh made a big improvement in the final. She cut down her time by over a second, marking the biggest win of her young career.

This gold medal adds to Nigeria’s success in athletics at the Games. Earlier, Gift Bright and Rosemary Nwankwo won the men’s and women’s 100m races.

Bright took the men’s 100m in 10.28 seconds. Nwankwo won the women’s title in 11.16 seconds. With these wins, Nigeria became the first country to take both sprint titles at the same Youth Olympics.

Ugoh’s success further highlights Nigeria’s strong performance in athletics. The country is making its mark at the first Youth Olympic Games held on African soil.