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DAKAR, Senegal – Praise Ugoh of Edo state Sports Commission became Nigeria‘s first Youth Olympic 400m champion after winning the women’s final at Dakar 2026 on Monday with a personal best of 52.76 seconds.
The 16-year-old finished ahead of Venezuela’s Osmary Pacheco, who clocked 52.85 seconds, while Aisha Muhammed of the United Arab Emirates took bronze in 53.06 with both athletes also recording personal bests.
Ugoh’s victory added a third athletics gold medal to Nigeria’s tally at the Games, following Rosemary Nwankwo’s women’s 100m triumph and Gift Bright’s victory in the men’s 100m on Sunday.
The result also made Ugoh the first Nigerian to win the women’s 400m title since the Youth Olympic Games began in 2010.
Nigeria’s success in Dakar builds on its history in Youth Olympic athletics.
The country won two athletics gold medals at the inaugural Games in Singapore in 2010, when Josephine Omaka claimed the girls’ 100m title and Nkiruka Florence Nwakwe won the 200m.
At Buenos Aires 2018, Rosemary Chukwuma won the women’s 100m in 11.17 seconds, becoming Nigeria’s third Youth Olympic athletics champion.
She defeated Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who later won the women’s 100m gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Nigeria also collected three silver medals at Buenos Aires, with Alaba Akintola finishing second in the men’s 100m and Ineh Oritsemeyiwa taking silver in the triple jump.
Before Dakar 2026, all three of Nigeria’s Youth Olympic gold medals had come from athletics.
The victories by Nwankwo, Bright and Ugoh have now raised that total to six.
Ugoh’s achievement also extends Nigeria’s return to the top of the Olympic podium, the country had not won an Olympic gold medal at senior or youth level since Chukwuma’s triumph in 2018.
With the athletics competition continuing at Complexe Iba Mar Diop, Nigeria will have further opportunities to add to its medal tally before the Games conclude.
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