Nigeria’s men’s 4x100m relay quartet of Favour Ashe, Kanyinsola Ajayi, Adekalu Fakorede and Udodi Onwuzurike have vowed to build on their Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games performance after a dramatic medal reshuffle returned them to bronze.
The Nigerian quartet clocked a season’s best of 38.12 seconds in the final, initially crossing the line in third position behind Australia and Canada.
The performance was the one hat demonstrated the quality and potential within Nigeria’s sprint relay team.
The result, however, took an unexpected turn after Canada was initially disqualified, temporarily elevating Nigeria to the silver-medal position.
Canada subsequently appealed the decision and won its challenge, meaning the Canadian team was reinstated to second place while Nigeria returned to bronze.
Australia ultimately took gold in 38.07 seconds, Canada silver in 38.11 and Nigeria bronze in 38.12.
Despite the unusual sequence of events, the Nigerian sprinters remained positive about what the performance represents for the future.
In their post-race reflections shared through Making of Champions, Ashe, Ajayi, Fakorede and Onwuzurike expressed the belief that the quartet still has considerably more to offer. ” We are happy to deliver this even though we aim for the gold” Onwuzurike said.
Rather than viewing the bronze medal as the end product, the athletes see the performance as evidence of what Nigeria can achieve with greater consistency, sharper baton exchanges and continued development.
” We will build on this in future. We are good together and continue to improve”, said Favour Ashe .
The result is also significant because Nigeria entered Glasgow with a strong sprinting generation.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria had named Ashe, Ajayi, Fakorede, Onwuzurike and other established sprinters in its Commonwealth Games relay pool.
For Ashe and Onwuzurike, the Glasgow appearance also continued a Commonwealth Games relay partnership that dates back to Birmingham 2022, where both athletes helped Nigeria win bronze.
Nigeria has now remained firmly among the medal contenders in the event across recent Commonwealth Games editions.
The quartet’s 38.12-second performance therefore offers more than another bronze medal for Nigeria.
It provides a glimpse of a relay team that believes it can improve significantly.
With Ajayi continuing to establish himself as one of Nigeria’s leading young sprinters, Ashe providing experience and speed, and Fakorede and Onwuzurike adding further quality, the athletes believe their Glasgow outing is only part of a bigger journey.
The message from the quartet is clear: Nigeria may have left Glasgow with bronze, but they believe there is much more to come from this relay team.
