Temitope Adeshina has delivered one of the most historic performances of Team Nigeria’s campaign at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The Nigerian record holder cleared 1.90 metres to win bronze in the women’s high jump, becoming the first Nigerian woman to stand on a Commonwealth Games podium in the event and ending a 72-year medal drought.
The achievement makes Adeshina only the third Nigerian ever to win a Commonwealth Games high jump medal, following Josiah Majekodunmi’s silver in 1950 and Emmanuel Ifeajuna’s gold in 1954.
Adeshina finished third behind Australia’s Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers in a high-quality final. Patterson reclaimed the Commonwealth title with a clearance of 1.96 metres, while world champion Olyslagers took silver.
The Nigerian national record holder’s bronze further underlined her consistency at major international competitions and strengthened Nigeria’s athletics medal campaign in Glasgow.
The podium finish marked an improvement for Adeshina, who finished 10th on her Commonwealth Games debut four years ago. Her return to the Games was marked by success as she navigated a world-class field.
For more than seven decades, no Nigerian high jumper, male or female, had managed to add another Commonwealth medal to the distinguished legacy established by Majekodunmi and Ifeajuna.
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The bronze medal was one of two athletics medals won by Nigeria on Tuesday, with Kayinsola Ajayi also claiming bronze in the men’s 100m final. Nigeria’s athletics medal tally now stands at 12, with more events still to come.
Adeshina’s medal also resonated as the first by a Nigerian woman in the event’s Commonwealth history.
