Team Nigeria made history at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Friday after setting the first-ever Commonwealth Games record in the Mixed 4x400m Relay event, while also securing qualification for the final as the fastest team.
The Nigerian quartet of Edidiong Udo, Esther Joseph, Samuel Ogazi and Patience Okon-George clocked 3:14.58 to win their heat, finishing ahead of Australia, who placed second in 3:15.21.
The performance made them the first athletes to enter the Commonwealth Games record books in the newly introduced relay event.
Kola Daniel, Special Adviser on Media to the Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, in a statement described the achievement as another major milestone for Team Nigeria at the Games.
“History was made on the track as the Nigerian Mixed 4x400m quartet stormed to victory in their heat in a time of 3:14.58. “The performance established the first-ever Commonwealth Games record in the Mixed 4x400m Relay event,” Daniel said.
He added that Nigeria’s dominant display had positioned the team as overwhelming favourites for the gold medal ahead of the final.
“The Nigerian team finished comfortably ahead of Australia, who placed second in 3:15.21, to qualify for the final as the fastest team and overwhelming favourites for the gold medal,” he said.
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Beyond the relay success, Team Nigeria continued to make progress in field events, with Ruth Usoro booking her place in the women’s long jump final.
Usoro secured qualification with her opening attempt, producing a season’s best leap of 6.77m (+0.6), comfortably surpassing the automatic qualifying mark of 6.70m.
Daniel also revealed that Nigeria remained in medal contention in the men’s decathlon, with Jami Schlueter occupying fourth position after six events with 5,099 points.
“The versatile Nigerian will conclude his campaign during the evening session with the javelin throw and the demanding 1,500 metres, where a strong finish could propel him into the medal positions,” he said.
Attention will now shift to the evening session, where several Nigerian athletes will compete for podium finishes across different events.
Daniel expressed confidence that Team Nigeria would maintain its strong performance at the Games, noting that the relay record and several final appearances had boosted the team’s momentum.
“With a Commonwealth Games record already secured and several finals still to come, Team Nigeria heads into the Day Eight evening session with confidence and momentum. “There are high expectations that the team will add more medals to the country’s tally in Glasgow,” he said.
NAN
