Nigeria’s remarkable run in the swimming pool at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games came to an end on Saturday evening as Abduljabar Adama missed out on a place in the final of the Men’s 50m Freestyle despite another determined performance against a world-class field.
Adama, who had earlier made history by becoming Nigeria’s lone swimmer to reach the semi-finals, finished sixth in Semi-final 2 with a time of 22.44 seconds, ending his impressive Commonwealth Games campaign.
Australia’s Jamie Jack won the race in 21.55 seconds, ahead of Canada’s Joshua Liendo (21.61s) and Australia’s Flynn Southam (21.86s). Singapore’s Mikkel Jun Jie Lee finished fourth in 22.25s, while the Bahamas’ Lamar Taylor placed fifth in 22.30s, just ahead of the Nigerian swimmer.
Although Adama fell short of a place in the medal race, his performance represents another important milestone for Nigerian swimming on the Commonwealth stage. Competing against some of the fastest sprinters in the world, the young Nigerian once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the country’s brightest swimming prospects.
Adama had progressed from the heats earlier in the day to become the only Nigerian swimmer to reach the semi-finals after teammate Clinton Opute exited in the preliminary round.
The result caps an encouraging outing for the talented swimmer, who arrived in Glasgow with an impressive reputation following his exploits as an African junior record holder. His ability to reach the last 16 of one of the Commonwealth Games’ most competitive sprint events underlines his growing stature and offers hope for the future of Nigerian swimming.
While the final proved just beyond his reach, Adama’s performance provided another positive chapter in Team Nigeria’s campaign, which has already been highlighted by an outstanding showing in para powerlifting.
Sports247, reporting from Glasgow, observed that Adama left the pool to warm applause after another courageous effort, with the experience expected to further strengthen his development as Nigeria continues to build a new generation of swimmers capable of competing with the very best on the international stage.
Sports247 Medal Watch – Team Nigeria
🥇 Gold: 3
🥈 Silver: 3
🥉 Bronze: 0
Total: 6
Medal winners
🥇 Esther Nworgu – Women’s Lightweight Para Powerlifting (Commonwealth Games Record)
🥇 Folashade Oluwafemiayo – Women’s Heavyweight Para Powerlifting (World Record)
🥇 Riluwan Idris – Men’s Heavyweight Para Powerlifting
🥈 Roland Ezuruike – Men’s Lightweight Para Powerlifting
🥈 Esther Oyema – Women’s Lightweight Para Powerlifting
🥈 Rita Ferdinand – Women’s Heavyweight Para Powerlifting (World Record)
