Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi etched his name into the history books on Thursday evening, claiming the men’s shot put gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games with a winning throw of 21.07 metres at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow.
The 33-year-old African record holder produced his decisive effort in the fifth round, edging defending champion Tom Walsh of New Zealand, who settled for silver with 21.03m. England’s Scott Lincoln claimed bronze after throwing 20.99m, as the trio finished separated by just eight centimetres in one of the closest athletics finals of the Games.
Enekwechi’s victory is a landmark achievement for Nigerian athletics. He becomes the first Nigerian man to win the Commonwealth Games shot put title and the first Nigerian male athlete to capture gold in any heavy throwing event at the Commonwealth Games.
The triumph also marks a remarkable turnaround for the Nigerian star, upgrading the silver medal he won at the 2018 Gold Coast Games and making amends for his fourth-place finish at Birmingham 2022.
Born in Queens, New York, to Nigerian parents from Anambra and Imo states, Enekwechi has established himself as Africa’s dominant shot putter over the past decade. The Purdue University graduate holds the African record of 22.10m, set in Eugene in 2025, and boasts multiple African Championships and African Games titles. His winning mark of 21.07m also stands as his best outdoor throw of the 2026 season.
Walsh, a multiple-world- and Olympic-medallist as well as the Commonwealth Games record holder, had taken an early lead with an opening throw of 21.03 m. However, the experienced New Zealander was unable to improve after Enekwechi surged ahead in the fifth round, leaving just four centimetres separating the top two athletes at the end of the competition.
Enekwechi’s gold further strengthened Team Nigeria’s impressive campaign in Glasgow, contributing to the nation’s growing medal haul and highlighting its continued success on the athletics stage.
The celebrations did not end there for Nigeria, as the country later added a silver medal in the women’s shot put, capping a memorable day for the nation’s throwing events and reinforcing its emergence as a force in field athletics at the Commonwealth Games.
