Team Nigeria made a bright start to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games earlier today, July 24, picking up an opening victory in men’s 3×3 basketball before Roland Ezuruike delivered the country’s first medal with a silver in para powerlifting.
Nigeria’s men’s 3×3 basketball side defeated the Cayman Islands 21-17 in their opening Pool A game to kick off their campaign on a winning note.
Esosa Okundaye and Ikechukwu Nwamu led the scoring with six points each as Nigeria held off their opponents to secure an encouraging first result of the Games.
The victory gives the team early momentum ahead of a tougher Pool A test against Australia, scheduled for 5.25pm Nigerian time.
Nigeria’s first medal arrived through seasoned para powerlifter Ezuruike, who claimed silver in the men’s Lightweight Group A event.
The veteran produced two successful lifts and finished with 153.9 points. He came within touching distance of the gold medal but narrowly failed with his final attempt at a Games record lift of 190kg.
England’s Mark Swan secured gold, while Malaysia’s Bonnie Bunyau Gustin claimed bronze after recording 153.5 points.
Another Nigerian, Ibrahim Dauda, also produced a solid performance, finishing fifth after lifting 140.1kg in a highly competitive field.
Earlier in the day, Clinton Opute became the first Nigerian to compete in an individual event at the Games when he featured in the men’s 200m individual medley.
It proved a disappointing outing for the swimmer, who placed sixth in his heat with a time of 2:15.40, a result that was not enough to earn a place in the next round.
