Commonwealth Games: Enekwechi wins historic shot put gold for Nigeria

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Chukwuebuka Enekwechi on Thursday became the first Nigerian to win the men’s shot put gold medal at the Commonwealth Games after producing a championship-winning throw of 21.07m in Glasgow, Scotland.

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The Olympic Games confirmed the win on its X handle saying, “GOLD for Nigeria – Chukwuebuka Enekwechi takes the W in the men’s shot put final!.”

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The 33-year-old delivered the decisive throw on his penultimate attempt at Scotstoun Stadium to claim Nigeria’s first-ever gold in the event.

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The victory marked a significant improvement on the silver medal he won at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and erased the disappointment of his fourth-place finish at the Birmingham 2022 edition.

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Enekwechi dethroned defending champion Tom Walsh of New Zealand, who had led the competition with an opening throw of 21.03m but could not respond after the Nigerian surged ahead.

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England’s Scott Lincoln claimed the bronze medal with a throw of 20.99m.

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The African record holder had signalled his title ambitions on Wednesday when he secured automatic qualification for the final with a single throw of 20.03m, topping Group B ahead of India’s Samardeep Singh Gill, New Zealand’s Nick Palmer and South Africa’s Aiden Smith.

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Walsh had led the overall qualifying standings with a throw of 21.03m in Group A, setting up the much-anticipated showdown with Enekwechi in the final.

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One of Nigeria’s most consistent track and field athletes over the past decade, Enekwechi also boasts five African titles.

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His victory increased Nigeria’s medal haul at the 2026 Commonwealth Games to 15, comprising eight gold, five silver and two bronze medals.

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