Dakar Youth Olympics: Ugoh Extends Nigeria’s Golden Athletics Run With 400m Triumph
By Saheed Afolabi
Nigeria’s impressive athletics campaign at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games gathered further momentum as Praise Ugoh made history by winning the country’s first-ever women’s 400m gold medal at the competition.
Ugoh delivered a superb performance in the final, clocking a personal-best 52.76 seconds to claim the gold medal in a closely fought contest.
The Nigerian finished ahead of Venezuela’s Osmary Pacheco, who settled for silver in 52.85 seconds, while Aisha Muhammed of the United Arab Emirates claimed bronze after crossing the finish line in 53.06 seconds.
The victory represents a significant breakthrough for Nigerian athletics, with Ugoh becoming the first Nigerian athlete to win a 400m title at the Youth Olympic Games.
Her triumph also extended Nigeria’s impressive medal-winning run in athletics, coming on the heels of the historic 100m double achieved by Rosemary Chigozie Nwankwo and Gift Bright.
Nwankwo claimed the women’s 100m title in 11.16 seconds, while Bright stormed to victory in the men’s event in a personal-best 10.28 seconds to become the first Nigerian to win the boys’ 100m gold at the competition.
The victories made Nigeria the first country to sweep both 100m titles at the same edition of the Youth Olympic Games, underlining the country’s growing strength in sprint athletics.
With Ugoh now adding a historic 400m gold to that achievement, Nigeria’s young athletes have further enhanced the country’s reputation as a rising force in youth athletics at the Dakar 2026 Games.
