Team Nigeria, on Friday, departed Abuja for a three-week training tour in Aberdeen, Scotland, ahead the 2026 Commonwealth Games. MAJORITY of the stars who left Abuja are home-based, they will be joined in Aberdeen by their counterparts from the United States ahead the Games scheduled for July 23 to August 2.

Here are some of the biggest stars to watch as Team Nigeria once again parade some of the finest athletes on the global stage.

Ese Brume
She is one of Africa’s biggest jumpers, who has consistently delivered. Brume is an Olympic bronze medallist (Tokyo 2020), a two-time World Championships medallist (bronze in Doha 2019 and silver in Eugene 2022), and the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion, where she set a new Games record with a leap of 7.00m.

Brume is also the African record holder in the women’s long jump with a personal best of 7.17m, making her the first African woman to surpass the 7.15m mark. A multiple African champion and one of Nigeria’s most decorated field athletes, she remains one of the favourites to retain her Commonwealth crown in Glasgow. African long jump record holder at 7.17m, Brume is working hard to be in great shape for the Commonwealth Games.
In one of her meets this season, Brume recently jumped 6.59m.

Tobi Amusan
With just a few weeks to Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, Tobi Amusan, a World Record Holder (12.12m) laid down the gauntlet for her rivals by storming to victory at the Paris Diamond League in the women’s 100m hurdles, equalling her season’s best of 12.27 seconds.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Amusan successfully defended the title she won in 2018, capturing her second consecutive Commonwealth gold in the 100m hurdles with a new Games record of 12.30 seconds. She also powered Nigeria’s women’s 4×100m relay team to gold. She will undoubtedly be one of the biggest attractions in Glasgow.

Folashade Oluwafemiayo
Folashade Oluwafemiayo will lead Team Nigeria into the Games as captain. Widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest para powerlifters, she has won multiple Paralympic, World Championship and Commonwealth titles while setting several world records. A four-time world champion and two-time Paralympic gold medallist, Oluwafemiayo struck gold at the 2021 World Para Powerlifting Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she also set a world record lift of 152.5kg. She successfully claimed Commonwealth gold in the heavyweight category at Birmingham 2022 and will once again be among Nigeria’s brightest medal hopes.

Rafiatu Lawal
Rafiatu Lawal has established herself as one of Africa’s finest weightlifters. She is a two-time African Games gold medallist (Rabat 2019 and Accra 2024). At the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, she shattered the record books by setting new Commonwealth Games records in the Snatch (90kg), Clean & Jerk (116kg), and Total (206kg).

Lawal enjoyed another remarkable season in 2026, winning gold at the African Weightlifting Championships in Ismailia, Egypt. She also etched her name into Nigerian sporting history by becoming the first Nigerian weightlifter to win three medals at a single IWF World Championships, claiming silver in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Total. She heads to Glasgow determined to defend her Commonwealth title.

At just 20 years old, Samuel Ogazi has rapidly emerged as one of the brightest quarter-milers in world athletics. The Nigerian sprint sensation announced himself on the global stage by reaching the 400m final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, becoming one of the youngest finalists in the event.

Since then, Ogazi has continued his meteoric rise. In 2025, he shattered the long-standing Nigerian 400m record, clocking an outstanding 44.02 seconds, while also setting an African indoor record of 44.57 seconds on his way to winning the NCAA Indoor title.

This year, Ogazi ran a World Lead of 43.95s to win the SEC men’s 400m title. He went on to win the NCAA title in a time of 43.38 seconds, becoming the 4th fastest man ever, breaking the NCAA record and setting a new Nigerian National record.

Ogazi will be one of Team Nigeria’s exciting medal prospects in Glasgow.

Kanyinsola Ajayi
The Nigerian new sprint king stunned the athletics world with a blazing 9.84 seconds in the men’s 100m at the NCAA East Regionals, setting a new national record and emerging as one of the fastest men globally in 2026.

Samuel Ogazi
The 21-year-old Auburn University sprinter delivered a career-defining performance to win his heat, secure qualification for the NCAA Championships, and erase a record that had stood for nearly two decades.
His time of 9.84s (0.4m/s) shattered the previous Nigerian record of 9.85s set by Olusoji Fasuba in 2006, a mark long considered one of the toughest in African sprinting history. Ajayi will be an athlete to watch at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.