Mixed Opening Day for Team Nigeria at World U20 Championships

Posted : 07 August 2026

Team Nigeria experienced a mixed start at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with a handful of athletes progressing through the early rounds while others saw their campaigns come to an end on the opening day.

The championships, running from August 5 to 9, have attracted the world's best young athletes, with Nigeria competing across several track and field events. Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jessica Oji is among the country's leading medal hopes and is set to begin her campaign in the women's shot put and discus throw.

Nigeria's first event was the mixed 4x400m relay, where David Udoh, Faith Ezechukwu, Perfect Faye and Jecinta Lawrence combined to clock 3:26.35. The quartet finished sixth in their heat, a result that was not enough to earn qualification for the next round.

In the women's 100 metres, Rosemary Nwankwo became Nigeria's first individual athlete to advance beyond the heats. She qualified after finishing third in her opening race with a time of 11.57 seconds.

Nwankwo improved her performance in the semi-finals, posting 11.54 seconds, but finished fifth in her race and narrowly missed out on a place in the final. Fellow Nigerian Lucy Nwankwo was eliminated in the heats after placing fifth in 11.77 seconds.

The men's 100 metres also produced one Nigerian semi-finalist. Tejiri Godwin qualified after finishing second in his heat with a time of 10.39 seconds before improving to 10.34 seconds in the semi-finals. Despite the faster time, he finished sixth in his race and failed to qualify for the final.

Gift Bright, Nigeria's second representative in the event, exited in the heats after running 10.60 seconds to finish fifth in his race.

Several Nigerian athletes are still waiting to begin their events. Success Oyibu, Faith Ezechukwu, Becky Ebiyadi, Chika Bakwunye and David Udoh are among those scheduled to compete over the coming days, while Jessica Oji will launch her bid for a medal in the field events.

Nigeria will also compete in the men's and women's 4x100-metre relays, as well as the women's 4x400-metre relay. Many of the athletes will combine relay appearances with their individual events as Team Nigeria aims to improve its fortunes during the remainder of the championships.

With several medal contenders yet to enter competition, the Nigerian team remains hopeful of stronger performances as the World U20 Championships continue in Oregon.

Mixed Opening Day for Team Nigeria at World U20 Championships

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