Nigeria ended a challenging second day of athletics at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on a golden note after Praise Ugoh Tejiri stormed to victory in the women’s 400m final on Monday.
Tejiri produced an impressive performance to win gold in a personal-best time of 52.76 seconds, becoming the first Nigerian female athlete to claim the women’s 400m title at the Youth Olympic Games.
The victory provided a major boost for Team Nigeria following a series of disappointing results across other athletics events during the day’s programme.
Osmary Pacheco settled for silver after clocking 52.85 seconds, while Aisha Muhammed completed the podium with a time of 53.06 seconds.
Remarkably, Tejiri achieved the milestone despite primarily competing in the 100m and 200m events, underlining her versatility and potential over the one-lap distance.
Her triumph offered Nigeria a memorable moment in a day that otherwise delivered mixed fortunes for the country’s young athletes.
Earlier, Gift Oghenerunor suffered a setback in the men’s 400m hurdles after failing to start his semifinal.
His absence earned him a Did Not Start (DNS) classification and ended his hopes of reaching the final.
Italy’s Davide Crisci won the semifinal in 52.65 seconds.
Nigeria also missed out on qualification in the women’s 400m hurdles, where Rita Chisom Ezeh finished seventh in the second semifinal.
Ezeh clocked a personal best of 1:01.66 but could not secure a place in the final. Colombia’s Michell Carolina Gomez won the race in 59.96 seconds, ahead of Switzerland’s Mina Hirsbrunner, who finished in 1:00.12. Brazil’s Larissa Schon placed third in 1:00.38.
The Nigerian teenager, who previously competed in long-distance events, only began competing in the 400m hurdles at the national trials in July.
Her personal best in Dakar represents encouraging progress in a relatively new discipline.
There was another difficult outing in the men’s high jump final as Obanla Ehuwa finished eighth with a personal-best clearance of 1.97m.
South Africa’s Matao Le Roux won gold with a 2.16m clearance, matching his personal best. China’s Liu Sen claimed silver with 2.14m, while Egypt’s Mohammed Zaki secured bronze after clearing 2.09m.
Despite the setbacks, Tejiri’s historic victory ensured Nigeria finished the athletics programme with a significant achievement, reinforcing the country’s medal ambitions at the continental youth sporting spectacle.
Team Nigeria will now look to build on the momentum as the athletics competition continues in Dakar.
