Nigeria’s remarkable and historic run of success at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games continued in spectacular fashion, as sensational quarter-miler Praise Ugoh became the first Nigerian ever to win the 400m title at the competition, adding another gold medal to the country’s unprecedented sprint double earlier secured by Rosemary Chigozie Nwankwo and Gift Bright.

Ugoh produced a superb, commanding and breathtaking performance in the women’s 400m final, clocking a new personal best of 52.76 seconds to claim the gold medal in a closely contested, tension-soaked race that kept spectators at the Stade Olympique de Diamniadio on the edge of their seats until the very last metre.

She finished ahead of Venezuela’s highly rated Osmary Pacheco, who took the silver medal in 52.85 seconds after a strong late surge, while Aisha Muhammed of the United Arab Emirates settled for the bronze medal in 53.06 seconds, after pushing the Nigerian all the way to the finish line.

The victory marks a major milestone, a watershed moment and a historic breakthrough for Nigerian athletics, with Ugoh becoming the first Nigerian athlete in the history of the Youth Olympic Games to win the 400m title, a feat that had eluded the country since the inception of the Games in 2010.

Her personal best performance also underlines the progress, dedication, hard work and rapid development of the young athlete, who delivered when it mattered most, rose to the big occasion and secured her place in the competition’s history books as one of Nigeria’s golden girls in Dakar.

The triumph came barely 24 hours after Nigeria recorded an outstanding and unprecedented achievement in the 100m events on Sunday, when Rosemary Chigozie Nwankwo and Gift Bright swept both sprint gold medals to complete a historic Nigerian double that has never been achieved before.

Nwankwo had stormed to a dominant victory in the women’s 100m final in a blistering time of 11.16 seconds, leaving her competitors in her wake, while Bright made history in the men’s event, becoming the first Nigerian male athlete to win the Youth Olympic Games 100m title in the history of the competition.

Nigeria’s sweep of the men’s and women’s 100m titles marked the very first time in the history of the Youth Olympic Games that the country had won both sprint crowns at the same edition, a feat that has now been described by pundits as the golden double and a clear statement of Nigeria’s sprinting pedigree.

With Ugoh’s 400m breakthrough now added to the sprint double, Nigeria’s young athletes have delivered a memorable, inspiring and resounding statement in Dakar, demonstrating the country’s growing depth of talent, resilience and capacity to compete for honours and dominate on the global stage.

The race itself was a tactical masterclass from the Nigerian youngster, who started conservatively, maintained her composure through the first 200 metres, before unleashing a devastating kick in the final 150 metres to overhaul the Venezuelan and Emirati athletes who had led for most part of the race.

Her time of 52.76 seconds is not only a personal best but also one of the fastest times by a Nigerian youth athlete in recent years, and it places her among the top prospects for future senior championships, including the African Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games.

Reacting to her victory, Ugoh, who was overwhelmed with emotion and draped in the green-white-green flag of Nigeria, said she was grateful to God, her coaches, her family and the National Sports Commission for believing in her and giving her the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the Youth Olympic Games.

She said her target coming to Dakar was to win a medal, but winning gold and making history as the first Nigerian to win the 400m title is a dream come true, and she hopes her victory will inspire other young Nigerian girls to take up athletics and believe in their dreams.

The Director General of the National Sports Commission, who has been in Dakar to support the Nigerian contingent, described Ugoh’s victory as a testament to the renewed focus on grassroots sports development, early talent identification and proper preparation being championed by the commission under the current administration.

According to him, the successes recorded so far in Dakar are not accidental but a product of deliberate investment, scientific training, exposure to international competitions and the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to sports development as a tool for youth empowerment and national unity.

He noted that the National Sports Commission will continue to support these young athletes, provide them with scholarships, training grants and access to world-class facilities to ensure that they transition smoothly from youth to senior level and continue to bring honour to the country.

Athletics stakeholders and former Nigerian internationals have also hailed Ugoh’s achievement, describing it as a sign that Nigeria’s quarter-mile tradition, which produced legends like Falilat Ogunkoya, Charity Opara and Bisi Afolabi, is being revived and that the future of Nigerian athletics is indeed very bright.

The President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, said Ugoh’s gold medal, combined with the double gold in the 100m, shows that Nigeria’s investment in junior athletics is yielding positive results and that with sustained support, Nigeria will soon return to its glorious days in global athletics.

He added that the AFN will ensure that Ugoh and other medalists from Dakar are properly managed, protected from burnout and given the necessary support to develop into world-class athletes capable of competing for medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games in the near future.

Meanwhile, celebrations have erupted across Nigeria, especially in Ugoh’s home state and among athletics enthusiasts, with many Nigerians taking to social media to congratulate the young athlete, praising her determination, courage and patriotism for making the country proud on the international stage.

The Minister of Sports Development, who spoke from Abuja, congratulated Ugoh, Nwankwo and Bright for their outstanding performances in Dakar, saying their victories have brought joy to Nigerians and have shown that Nigerian youths, when given the right support and enabling environment, can excel and compete favourably anywhere in the world.

He assured that the Federal Government will continue to invest in youth sports, upgrade sporting infrastructure and provide incentives for athletes who bring glory to the country, as part of efforts to make sports a viable career path and a major contributor to national development and job creation.

As at the time of filing this report, Nigeria’s medal haul at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games has risen significantly, with the country’s young athletes showing promise in other sports such as wrestling, weightlifting and table tennis, raising hopes that Team Nigeria will surpass its previous best performance at the Games.

With three gold medals already in the kitty from athletics alone, and more events still to come, Nigeria’s contingent in Dakar is confident of finishing among the top 10 countries on the overall medals table, a feat that would be the country’s best ever outing at the Youth Olympic Games since its debut.

The statement confirming Ugoh’s historic victory was signed by Kola Daniel, Special Adviser on Media to the Director General of the National Sports Commission, on November 9, 2026, and made available to journalists in Dakar and Abuja, as Nigerians continue to celebrate the golden moments from the Senegalese capital.