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Team Nigeria’s quest for a first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in the men’s 4x100m relay received a significant boost on Tuesday after sprint star Favour Ashe produced a commanding victory at the BFTAA Open in Lee Valley, England.
With only two days remaining before athletics competition begins at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, Ashe powered to victory in the men’s 100m final in 10.06 seconds, aided by a +2.6m/s tailwind. He finished ahead of Great Britain’s Nicholas Walsh (10.11s), while Ade Adewale placed third in 10.19s.
The performance has strengthened confidence within the Nigerian camp as Ashe prepares to spearhead the country’s challenge in the men’s sprint relay, one of the marquee events of the athletics programme.
Nigeria enters Glasgow with a strong relay tradition and a squad widely regarded as one of its deepest sprint pools in recent years. The available relay athletes include Israel Sunday Okon, Fakorede Adekalu,
Kayinsola Ajayi, Ashe, Alaba Akintola, Udodi Onwuzurike and Chidera Ezeakor, giving the coaching crew several options for the final quartet.
The country’s relay pedigree stretches back decades. Nigeria won silver at the 1997 World Athletics Championships in Athens through Osmond Ezinwa.
, Olapade Adeniken, Francis Obikwelu and Davidson Ezinwa, who set a national record of 37.94 seconds in the semifinals — a mark that still stands.
Two years later, Innocent Asonze, Obikwelu, Daniel Effiong and Deji Aliu claimed bronze at the 1999 World Championships in Seville in 37.91 seconds, then an African record.
Nigeria also secured an Olympic silver medal in the men’s 4x100m relay from the Beijing 2008 Games after Jamaica was disqualified.
At the Commonwealth Games, Nigerian relay teams have consistently reached the podium. The quartet of Seye Ogunlewe, Mark Jelks, Ogho-Oghene Egwero and Divine Oduduru won bronze at Glasgow 2014, while Ogunlewe, Oduduru, Raymond Ekevwo and Emmanuel Arowolo repeated the feat at Gold Coast 2018.
The country’s best Commonwealth relay finish came at Birmingham 2022, where Ashe, Ekevwo, Akintola and Onwuzurike combined to win silver behind Kenya.
Nigeria also has a rich history in the individual sprints. Olapade Adeniken and Davidson Ezinwa both finished sixth in the Olympic 100m finals at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 respectively, while Olusoji Fasuba became the first Nigerian to win Commonwealth Games 100m gold when he triumphed at Melbourne 2006.
As the Glasgow athletics programme gets underway on Thursday, the National Sports Commission believes the current generation has the quality and depth to finally convert Nigeria’s long-standing relay excellence into a historic Commonwealth Games gold medal.
