Team Nigeria endured another frustrating day at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games as the country’s struggles in boxing continued while swimmer Abduljabar Adama narrowly missed out on a place in the men’s 50m freestyle final.
Nigeria’s disappointing boxing campaign worsened after David Akintola suffered a round of 32 defeat to Tanzania’s Yusuf Lucasi Changalawe.
Akintola lost via a 4-1 split decision on points, joining the list of Nigerian boxers eliminated from the competition.
His defeat comes after two Nigerian boxers had already crashed out on the opening day, meaning three Nigerian fighters have now exited the tournament within the first two days, leaving the country’s boxing medal hopes hanging by a thread.
In swimming, Adama’s impressive run came to an end after he finished sixth in Semi-final 2 of the men’s 50m freestyle in a time of 22.44 seconds, missing qualification for the eight-man final.
The Nigerian national record holder had earlier made history by becoming the first Nigerian swimmer at the Games to qualify for a semi-final after finishing third in his heat with a time of 22.67 seconds.
Despite improving his performance by 0.23 seconds in the semi-final, Adama could not match the pace of the leading swimmers, whose faster times secured the available spots in the medal race.
Although he failed to reach the final, Adama’s performance remains one of Nigeria’s brightest moments in the swimming competition and highlights the gradual progress being made by the country’s swimmers on the international stage.
Earlier, Clinton Opute narrowly missed qualification for the men’s 50m freestyle semi-finals after finishing sixth in his heat with a time of 23.15 seconds, ending as the second reserve.
In the women’s competition.
Dorcas Oka was unable to progress beyond the heats of the 100m breaststroke, bringing Nigeria’s swimming campaign to a close without a finalist or medal.
Team Nigeria also endured disappointment in the women’s wheelchair 3×3 basketball event, suffering a heavy 16-1 defeat to host nation Scotland.
Team Nigeria will continue their search for more medals on Sunday for more podium finishes as the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games continue.
