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Temitope Adeshina won bronze in the women’s high jump after clearing 1.90 metres in Glasgow.
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She became the first Nigerian woman to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the high jump.
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The achievement also ended a 72-year wait for a Nigerian high jumper to reach the Commonwealth podium.
August 01, (THEWILL) — Nigeria’s Temitope Adeshina has written her name into the country’s athletics history after claiming the bronze medal in the women’s high jump at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The Nigerian star produced a superb performance, clearing 1.90 metres to finish third in a fiercely contested final and secure Nigeria’s first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in the women’s high jump.
Australia dominated the event, with Eleanor Patterson soaring to the gold medal, while fellow Australian Nicola Olyslagers claimed silver after another outstanding display.
For Adeshina, however, the bronze medal represented far more than a podium finish. The achievement made her the first Nigerian woman to win a medal in the high jump at the Commonwealth Games, adding another landmark moment to Team Nigeria’s impressive campaign in Glasgow.
Her success also ended a wait stretching back more than seven decades for a Nigerian high jumper to stand on the Commonwealth Games podium. The last Nigerian to achieve the feat was Emmanuel Ifeajuna, who won gold at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada.
Adeshina’s performance underlined her remarkable progress in recent years and further established her as one of Nigeria’s brightest field-event athletes. Having steadily developed into one of Africa’s leading high jumpers, she rose to the occasion on one of the sport’s biggest stages to deliver a medal-winning performance.
The National Sports Commission (NSC) hailed the achievement as another historic moment for Nigerian athletics. In a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media to the Director General of the NSC, Kola Daniel, the commission commended Adeshina for her resilience, determination and commitment, describing her bronze medal as a reward for years of hard work and consistent improvement.
Adeshina’s bronze further boosted Team Nigeria’s medal tally at the Games, where the country’s athletes have continued to excel across athletics, weightlifting and para sports. Her achievement also highlights the growing strength of Nigerian athletics beyond the sprint events, with athletes increasingly making their mark in field competitions.
As the Commonwealth Games continue in Glasgow, Adeshina’s historic medal will be remembered as one of Nigeria’s defining moments, inspiring a new generation of young athletes to believe that barriers can be broken and history can always be rewritten.
