By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
With just 24 days to the start of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, excitement is building as Team Nigeria prepares to compete against the world’s best from July 23 to August 2.
Nigeria will once again rely on a blend of established champions and rising stars across athletics, weightlifting and para powerlifting in its quest for medals. In the first part of this series, we spotlight five athletes expected to play key roles in the country’s campaign.
Tobi Amusan
World record holder Tobi Amusan heads to Glasgow in outstanding form after claiming victory in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Paris Diamond League, equalling her season’s best time of 12.27 seconds.
The Nigerian sprint hurdler is a two-time Commonwealth champion, having defended her title at Birmingham 2022 with a Games record of 12.30 seconds after first winning gold on the Gold Coast in 2018. She also anchored Nigeria’s women’s 4×100m relay team to gold in Birmingham.
With her pedigree and current form, Amusan remains one of the biggest attractions at Glasgow 2026.
Folashade Oluwafemiayo
Team Nigeria captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo enters the Games as one of the country’s most accomplished athletes.
The two-time Paralympic champion and four-time world champion has dominated para powerlifting for years, winning multiple Commonwealth and world titles while breaking several world records.
She claimed gold at the 2021 World Para Powerlifting Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she set a world record lift of 152.5kg, before capturing Commonwealth gold in the heavyweight division at Birmingham 2022.
Oluwafemiayo is widely expected to be among Nigeria’s strongest medal contenders in Glasgow.
Ese Brume
Few African athletes have been as consistent in the long jump as Ese Brume.
The Olympic bronze medallist and two-time World Championships medallist added Commonwealth gold to her impressive collection at Birmingham 2022, setting a Games record with a leap of 7.00 metres.
Brume also holds the African women’s long jump record of 7.17 metres, becoming the first African woman to surpass the 7.15m mark.
As one of Nigeria’s most decorated field athletes, she will be aiming to defend her Commonwealth title in Glasgow.
Rafiatu Lawal
Rafiatu Lawal has established herself among Africa’s elite weightlifters through a series of record-breaking performances.
The two-time African Games champion rewrote the Commonwealth Games record books at Birmingham 2022, setting new marks in the Snatch (90kg), Clean & Jerk (116kg) and Total (206kg).
Her remarkable run continued in 2026 when she won gold at the African Weightlifting Championships in Ismailia, Egypt. She also became the first Nigerian weightlifter to win three medals at a single IWF World Championships, taking silver in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Total.
Lawal will be determined to retain her Commonwealth title in Glasgow.
Samuel Ogazi
At only 20 years old, Samuel Ogazi has emerged as one of the brightest talents in world athletics.
He announced his arrival by reaching the men’s 400m final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, becoming one of the youngest finalists in the event.
Ogazi has continued his remarkable rise, breaking the long-standing Nigerian 400m record with 44.02 seconds in 2025, while also setting an African indoor record of 44.57 seconds en route to winning the NCAA Indoor title.
This season, he produced a world-leading 43.95 seconds to win the SEC title before lowering his national record to an astonishing 43.38 seconds to claim the NCAA championship. The performance made him the fourth-fastest man in history over 400m while setting a new NCAA record.
The young quarter-miler will be one of Team Nigeria’s most exciting medal prospects at Glasgow 2026.
Part Two of this series will highlight more Team Nigeria stars expected to make an impact at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
