Adeshina wins high jump bronze as Cameroon’s Eseme sets Commonwealth Games 100m record

Editor

Nigeria added another medal to its growing tally at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Tuesday as Temitope Simbiat Adeshina won the bronze medal in the women’s high jump, while Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme produced a sensational performance to shatter the men’s 100m Commonwealth Games record.

Adeshina, Nigeria’s national record holder, cleared 1.90m to finish third in a high-quality final won by Australia’s Eleanor Patterson, who regained the Commonwealth title with a clearance of 1.96m, 12 years after winning her first gold. World champion Nicola Olyslagers settled for silver after failing to clear the winning height.

The bronze medal marked another achievement for Team Nigeria’s athletics contingent, with Adeshina maintaining her consistency on the international stage.

The biggest talking point of the evening, however, came in the men’s 100m final, where Cameroon’s two-time African champion Emmanuel Eseme stormed to victory in a stunning Commonwealth Games record of 9.83 seconds.

Eseme, who was trailing for much of the race before producing a devastating late surge over the final metres, erased the previous Games record of 9.86 seconds set by Trinidad and Tobago’s Ato Boldon 28 years ago in Kuala Lumpur.

Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy finished a close second in 9.85 seconds, setting a new area record, while Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi, one of the pre-race favourites, claimed the bronze medal in 9.90 seconds.

Eseme’s remarkable victory is made even more extraordinary by his unconventional journey to the top.

The 32-year-old only began sprinting at the age of 24 but has now etched his name into Commonwealth Games history with one of the fastest performances ever seen at the event.

Elsewhere, Nigeria’s Oyesade Olatoye placed eighth in the women’s hammer throw final with a best effort of 63.27m, as Canada’s Camryn Rogers dominated the competition with a Games record throw of 74.91m.

In the boxing competition, Nigeria’s Patricia Mbata bowed out in the women’s 75kg quarter-finals after a narrow 3-2 split decision defeat to England’s Mary Kate Smith, ending her hopes of a medal.

The day nevertheless ended on a positive note for Team Nigeria, with Adeshina’s bronze adding to the country’s athletics medal haul, while Ajayi’s podium finish in the men’s 100m underlined Nigeria’s continued strength in the sprint events despite Eseme’s record-breaking run for Cameroon.

Meanwhile, Team Nigeria will resume its quest for more medals on Wednesday with athletes competing across sprint events, field competitions and para-athletics as the country’s athletics campaign gathers momentum in Glasgow.

The day’s action begins at 10:30am with the opening round of the women’s 200 metres.

Jennifer Obi Chukwuka will line up in Heat Four from lane three, while Olayinka Olajide, who boasts a season’s best of 23.14 seconds, competes in Heat Five from lane five as both athletes seek qualification for the next round.

Nigeria’s hopes in the field events will then rest on Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who returns to action in the men’s shot put qualification at 11:05am.

Competing in Group B, Enekwechi will throw sixth in the order with a season’s best mark of 21.74 metres, aiming to secure a place in the final.

Attention will shift back to the track at 11:32am for the men’s 200 metres first round. Alaba Akintola will compete in Heat Two from lane five, while Udodi Onwuzurike, one of Nigeria’s leading sprint prospects, takes to the track in Heat Five, also from lane five.

Onwuzurike enters the event with a season’s best of 20.18 seconds, while Akintola has clocked 20.33 seconds this season.

The evening session opens at 7:00pm with the women’s F42/44 discus throw final, where Goodness Nwachukwu and Destiny Agbo will battle for podium places.

Nwachukwu enters the competition with a season’s best throw of 36.56 metres, while Agbo’s best this season stands at 31.84 metres.

One of Nigeria’s strongest medal hopes comes at 7:33pm when African record holder Ezekiel Nathaniel begins his campaign in the men’s 400 metres hurdles.

Drawn in lane seven of Heat Two, Nathaniel carries a season’s best of 47.37 seconds and will be aiming for a smooth passage into the semi finals.

The women’s shot put final follows at 8:01pm, with Jessica Oji representing Nigeria. The 19-year-old, who has a season’s best of 18.50 metres, will throw seventh in the order as she targets a place on the podium.

Nigeria’s schedule concludes at 9:12pm with the men’s T47 100 metres final, where Ifeanyi Christian will compete from lane two in the para-athletics event, hoping to add another medal to Team Nigeria’s growing haul.

With several of the country’s leading athletes in action across both track and field, Wednesday promises to be another crucial day for Team Nigeria as it seeks to build on its impressive performances at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Photo: Adesina