Commonwealth Games 2026: Nwachukwu Breaks World Record To Win Discus Gold, Oji Takes Shotput Silver

By Saheed Afolabi

Team Nigeria enjoyed another outstanding day at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, highlighted by a world-record performance from Goodness Nwachukwu, a breakthrough silver for teenager Jessica Oji, and a dominant qualifying run from Ezekiel Nathaniel.

Nwachukwu delivered the performance of her career in the women’s F42-44/F61-64 discus throw. Saving her best until last, she unleashed a massive 39.66m effort in the final round to break her own F42 world record by more than three metres and claim the Commonwealth title.

The gold-winning throw left her clear of Wales’ Funmi Oduwaiye, who took silver with 38.52m, while fellow Welsh athlete Bree Cronin secured bronze with 36.00m. The victory marked Nigeria’s seventh gold medal of the Games.

Earlier, 19-year-old Jessica Oji announced her arrival on the international stage with a superb silver medal in the women’s shot put. Competing in her first major championship for Nigeria, Oji produced a best throw of 17.87m to finish second and add another medal to the nation’s growing tally.

On the track, Commonwealth champion Ezekiel Nathaniel underlined his gold-medal credentials by winning Heat Two of the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.69 seconds. The time made him the fastest overall qualifier for the final. He finished ahead of England’s Jake Minshull (48.88) and India’s Santhosh Tamilarasan (49.51), setting up a strong challenge for the title.

In the boxing ring, Blessing Orakwe’s campaign in the women’s 70kg division ended in the quarter-finals after a tightly contested bout against Australia’s Lekeisha Pergoliti. Orakwe lost by a narrow 3-2 split decision despite winning two of the five judges’ scorecards, bringing a spirited effort to a close.