Glasgow 2026: Five Nigerians qualify for 400m semi-finals

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. The strong showing continues Nigeria’s encouraging start to the athletics competition, following the sprinters’ advancement to the semi-finals of the men’s and women’s 100m on Monday. Nigeria arrived in Glasgow with one of its strongest athletics teams in recent years, led by world-class athletes including Samuel Ogazi, Favour Ashe, Kanyinsola Ajayi, and world record holder Tobi Amusan. ALSO READ: Commonwealth Games: Nigerian sprinters, weightlifters lead Day Five medal hunt in Glasgow Beyond the track, Team Nigeria has enjoyed an outstanding Commonwealth Games campaign, winning 10 medals—six gold and four silver—to remain among the top four nations on the medals table and the highest-ranked African country after Day 4 action. With the 400m semi-finals scheduled for Wednesday, Nigeria will be hoping its five quarter-milers can build on their strong starts and keep the country’s medal hopes alive in Glasgow. Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini