Praise Ugoh Wins Youth Olympic 400m Gold for Nigeria

Nigeria’s remarkable run of success at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games continued on Monday as Praise Ugoh became the first Nigerian to win a 400m title at the competition, adding another gold medal to the country’s historic sprint double secured by Rosemary Chigozie Nwankwo and Gift Bright earlier on Sunday.

Ugoh produced a superb performance in the women’s 400m final, clocking a personal best of 52.76 seconds to claim gold in a closely contested race. 

She finished ahead of Venezuela’s Osmary Pacheco, who took silver in 52.85 seconds, while Aisha Muhammed of the United Arab Emirates settled for bronze in 53.06 seconds.

The victory marks a major milestone for Nigerian athletics with Ugoh becoming the first Nigerian to win the 400m title at the Youth Olympic Games. 

Her personal best performance also underlines the progress of the young athlete, who delivered when it mattered most to secure her place in the competition’s history.

Her triumph follows Nigeria’s outstanding achievement in the 100m events on Sunday, when Rosemary Nwankwo and Gift Bright swept both sprint gold medals to complete a historic Nigerian double.

Nwankwo stormed to victory in the women’s 100m in 11.16 seconds while Bright made history in the men’s event, becoming the first Nigerian to win the Youth Olympic Games 100m title. 

Nigeria’s sweep of the men’s and women’s 100m titles marked the first time the country had won both sprint crowns at the same edition of the Youth Olympic Games.

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