Team Nigeria eyes new record of 16 gold medals at Glasgow Commonwealth Games

TEAM Nigeria is looking forward to having its best ever Commonwealth Games outing this year with a target of 16 gold medals at the tournament which kicked off yesterday in the Scottish capital Glasgow with a culturally diverse march past.

Yesterday. the 23rd Commonwealth Games that will feature 3,000 athletes from 73 nations, kicked off with an opening ceremony at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow. Tonobok Okowa, the president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has expressed confidence in the quality and depth of Team Nigeria’s athletics squad.

According to Mr Okowa,  the arrival of several top Nigerian athletes has strengthened the federation’s belief that the seven-gold target is achievable. Athletics events, which will run from Monday, July 27 to Saturday, August 1 at Glasgow's Scotstoun Stadium, are expected to contribute significantly to Team Nigeria’s target of 16 gold medals.

Mr Okowa said: “The number of top Nigerian athletes participating at the games is encouraging. This is an excellent spirit, and it signals a new spirit for them to represent their fatherland at international competitions.

“In camp, we also have US-based Alaba Akintola, Adekalu Fakorede, Udodi Onwuzurike, hurdler Nathaniel Ezekiel, Edidiong Okon Udo, Temitope Adeshina, Prestina Ochonogor, Ruth Usoro, veteran quartermiler Patience George-Okon, Chidera Ezeakor, Oyesade Oyetade, Obiageri Amaechi, Jessica Orji and Jami Schlueter. I feel very happy with the great spirit in camp, and we can easily meet our target of seven gold medals."

He added that  the presence of 100m hurdles world record holder and defending Commonwealth champion Tobi Amusan, sprint sensation Kanyinsola Ajayi, Favour Ashe, Olympic 400m finalist Samuel Ogazi, Rosemary Chukwuma, shot put veteran Chukwuebuka Enekwechi and javelin thrower Chinecherem Nnamdi has further boosted Nigeria’s medal prospects. Schlueter, who recently switched allegiance from England to Nigeria, is set to compete for the country for the first time, while teenage sensation Miracle Ezechukwu is also part of the squad.

Nigeria’s strongest medal prospects are expected to come from the men’s 100m, 400m and 400m hurdles, while the country also has realistic chances in the decathlon, the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays and the mixed relays. In the women’s events, Amusan will be aiming to successfully defend her 100m hurdles title, while Ella Onojuvwevwo and Temitope Adeshina are also considered strong contenders for gold.

Four years ago, Nigeria produced its best track and field performance in Commonwealth Games history at Birmingham 2022, when the athletics team delivered a record gold medal haul of five, two more than in 1990 in Auckland. This year’s edition has been scaled down to 10 sports from the 17 featured at the last games due to cost issues.

For Nigeria, the Glasgow games mark a significant milestone as the country makes its 16th appearance at the Commonwealth Games, 76 years after its debut at the 1950 tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. Nigeria has established itself as one of the Commonwealth’s strongest sporting nations over the decades, winning medals across athletics, boxing, wrestling, weightlifting and para sports.