‎By Teddy Nwanunobi

‎Twenty-four years after Nigeria won a judo medal at the Commonwealth Games, Enku Ekuta, who was only four years when Nigeria mounted the medal podium last, claimed bronze in the women’s -63kg event at the Glasgow 2026 Games on Saturday, to end the judo medal wait.

‎She defeated Zambia’s Rita Kabinda by ippon to wrap up the bronze medal contest in under three minutes, having bounced back through the repechage after suffering a defeat in the quarter-final.

‎Her medal marks Nigeria’s first in judo at the Commonwealth Games since the 2002 edition, bringing to an end more than two decades of disappointment for the sport in the country.

‎The breakthrough is a significant one for Nigerian judo, which had struggled for years to translate domestic talent into medals on the Commonwealth stage despite producing several promising athletes.

‎Ekuta rose to the occasion in Glasgow with a series of determined, tactically disciplined performances against some of the Commonwealth’s top-ranked judokas before finally securing the podium finish, a result stakeholders in the sport believe could inspire greater investment in grassroots judo development and athlete welfare going forward.

‎The achievement caps a strong campaign for Team Nigeria in Glasgow, with the country’s athletes producing medal-winning performances across multiple disciplines including athletics, weightlifting, swimming and para sports.

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