By Teddy Nwanunobi
Nigerian athletes at the ongoing 2026 African Athletics Championships have begun to show the stuff they are made of, with Tobi Amusan, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Sade Olatoye and others mounting the medal podium in Ghana.
Twenty-nine-year-old World record holder Tobi Amusan picked Nigeria’s first gold medal at the event, beating Zimbabwe’s Ashley Miller in the Women’s 100 metres hurdles final on Wednesday, with another Nigerian, Adaobi Tabugbo, finishing third to win bronze.
It was Amusan’s third African Championship gold medal in the 100 metres hurdles event, while the bronze was Tabugbo’s first medal for Nigeria.
Nigeria also clinched bronze medal in the Men’s 100 metres event, after Chidera Ezeakor ran a time of 10.31 seconds to finish third behind South Africa’s Bradley Nkoana in second place, who also ran the identical time.
Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme won gold in the event, crossing the finish line at a time of 10.25 seconds.
Team Nigeria’s medal galore continued in the Women’s 100 metres event in which Rosemary Chukwuma secured silver with a time of 11.48 seconds.
It was a photo finish race with Chukwuma initially thinking she had won the race on track but officials later announced Cameroon’s Herverge Kole Etame (11.48 seconds) as the winner.
Thelma Davies of Liberia ran 11.50 seconds to finish third.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has filed an official complaint to contest the decision to downgrade Chukwuma’s position.
Also on Wednesday, Sade Olatoye clinched the Silver medal in the Women’s Hammer Throw event, landing her best mark of 69.60m to finish on the podium.
Nigeria had earlier on Tuesday won its first two medals of the championships after Divine Oladipo and Obiageri Pamela Amaechi threw a distance of 55.37 and 53.23 metres in the Women’s Discus Throw to win silver and bronze respectively.
The championship is Oladipo’s first outing with Nigeria following her decision to switch her nation of allegiance from England to Nigeria.