Nigeria sent a squad of 127 athletes to Glasgow, the team mainly comprising of competitors in shooting, wrestling, weightlifting and athletics. In recent years, Nigerian athletes have performed extremely well in the weightlifting events at the Commonwealth level and the 2014 Games saw that success continue unabated. Of the 11 gold medals won by Nigeria in Glasgow, an astonishing six came courtesy of the nation’s weightlifting squad. The African nation comfortably topped the weightlifting medal table, winning three more gold medals than their nearest rivals India. Nigerian athletes managed to sweep the board in the powerlifting categories, winning gold in all four events, both for men and women.
A Sprint Star is Born
For many people through, the undoubted star of the Nigerian team was sprinter Blessing Okagbare. The incredibly talented athlete managed a historic double, winning gold in both the Women’s 100 metre and 200 metre sprints. To go with her gold collection, Okagbare also picked up a silver medal, as Nigeria finished second in the 4x100 metre relay behind the dominant Jamaican team.
Blessing Okagbare triumphed in the 100 metre sprint for her first gold of the games, setting a new Commonwealth record in the process. Just three days later, the Nigerian superstar was top of the rostrum once more after dominating the 200 metre final. After winning a silver medal in the long jump at the 2013 World Athletics Championship, Okagbare would have been a strong favourite to triumph in the same event at the Commonwealth Games. However, the long jump was scheduled too close to the 200 metre event, meaning Okagbare was unable to compete in both.
Wrestling with Triumph
Other sports in which Nigeria performed well at the Glasgow Games included wrestling and boxing. Second only to weightlifting, the wrestling events saw a lot of success for Team Nigeria, with a final medal haul of two golds, two silver and eight bronze. Both of Nigeria’s gold medals came courtesy of the women’s wrestling squad. Of the total wrestling medals up for grabs, only Canada and India managed to win more than Nigeria. Although the noble art of boxing was not quite so successful as wrestling for the Nigerian squad, they did still manage to win three bronze medals.
After his nation’s commendable showing in Glasgow, the President of Nigeria assured the Nigerian athletes of a warm welcome on their return to the country. President Goodluck Jonathan is well known for his love of sport and is sure to have been pleased with the excellent performance of the Nigerian team.
