Nigeria’s Praise Ugoh has made history at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after winning the women’s 400m gold medal in a personal best time of 52.76 seconds.
Ugoh produced an impressive performance in Monday’s final to finish ahead of Venezuela’s Osmary Pacheco, who clocked 52.85 seconds, while Aisha Muhammed of the United Arab Emirates claimed bronze in 53.06 seconds.
Her victory made her the first Nigerian to win the women’s 400m title at the Youth Olympic Games and added to the country’s growing medal tally at the competition.
Ugoh secured her place in the final on Sunday after finishing second in her semi-final heat in 54.38 seconds, behind Pacheco, who recorded 53.01 seconds.
She improved significantly in the final, taking more than a second off her semi-final time to claim the biggest title of her career.
The victory follows Nigeria’s historic success in the men’s and women’s 100m events at the Games.
Gift Bright won the men’s 100m title in 10.28 seconds, while Rosemary Nwankwo claimed the women’s crown in 11.16 seconds.
Their victories made Nigeria the first country to win both sprint titles at the same edition of the Youth Olympic Games.
Ugoh’s achievement further strengthens Nigeria’s athletics campaign at the competition, which is the first edition of the Youth Olympic Games to be hosted on African soil.
