Team Nigeria’s athletics campaign gathered momentum on Tuesday as five athletes secured places in the men’s and women’s 400m semi-finals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Edidiong Udo led the charge in the men’s event, producing an impressive performance to win Heat One in 45.73 seconds on his international debut for Nigeria over the distance. The 27-year-old finished almost a second ahead of the rest of the field to book his place in Wednesday’s semi-finals at Scotstoun Stadium.
His qualification means Nigeria will have two athletes in the men’s 400m semi-finals, with Samuel Ogazi having received a bye into the last four as one of the event’s top-ranked athletes.
In the women’s event, Nigeria will also have a strong presence after Patience Okon-George and Esther Elo Joseph progressed from the first round, joining Ella Onojuvwevwo, who was also handed a bye into the semi-finals.
Okon-George secured automatic qualification after finishing fourth in her heat in 53.27 seconds, while Joseph crossed the line in 52.82 seconds to place third and earn her first-ever Commonwealth Games 400m semi-final appearance. The result means Nigeria will have three women in Wednesday’s semi-finals as the country targets places in the medal race.
