Nigeria Opens Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games with Basketball Win and Ezuruike Silver
Team Nigeria made a bright start to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on July 24, securing an opening victory in men’s 3×3 basketball. The side defeated the Cayman Islands 21‑17 in their Pool A opener, giving the squad early momentum.
Esosa Okundaye and Ikechukwu Nwamu led the scoring with six points each, helping Nigeria hold off their opponents. The win sets up a tougher test against Australia later today at 5.25 pm Nigerian time.
Nigeria’s first medal came from seasoned para powerlifter Roland Ezuruike, who claimed silver in the men’s Lightweight Group A event. Ezuruike recorded two successful lifts for a total of 153.9 points, narrowly missing gold after his final attempt at a Games‑a 190 kg lift‑was unsuccessful.
England’s Mark Swan took gold, while Malaysia’s Bonnie Bunyau Gustin earned bronze with 153.5 points. Another Nigerian, Ibrahim Dauda, finished fifth after lifting 140.1 kg in a highly competitive field.
Earlier in the day, Clinton Opute became the first Nigerian to compete in an individual event at the Games, swimming in the men’s 200 m individual medley. He placed sixth in his heat with a time of 2:15.40, which did not advance him to the next round.
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