• Ajayi, others drawn bye into semifinals

Ruth Nyong, yesterday, grabbed yet another silver medal for Team Nigeria in the women’s 48kg weightlifting category at the ongoing 2026 Commonwealth Games.

She had a total of 75 in snatch, 93 in clean and jerk, for a total of 168.

The Nigerian lost the gold medal to India’s Mirabai Chanu Saikhom, while Malaysia’s Irene Jane Henry finished third.

Nyong had successfully lifted 71kg on her opening snatch before setting a new Personal Best of 75kg on her second lift.

The gold medallist, India’s Mirabai Chanu, broke the Commonwealth Games record with 85kg.

Meanwhile, Kanyinsola Ajayi, Rosemary Chukwuma and Blessing Ogundiran are set to begin their respective 100m campaigns from the semifinal stage of the ongoing 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, as their names were conspicuously absent from the first-round start lists.

The trio was not listed in any of the 11 men’s or eight women’s first-round heats released for the event, which will begin today.

Several other top athletes registered for the 100m events also do not appear in the first-round line-ups, suggesting they may have received byes into the semifinals.

Among the other prominent athletes missing from the first round are South Africa’s Gift Leotlela, Kenya’s defending Commonwealth 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala, Canada’s Jerome Blake and Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy in the men’s event.

In the women’s 100m, British Virgin Islands star Adaejah Hodge, who has run a world-leading 10.63 seconds this year, is also among those not listed in the first round, alongside Jamaican duo Jonielle Smith and Jordean Williams.

However, reigning Nigerian 100m champion, Favour Ashe, will start Team Nigeria’s track and field campaign this morning at the Games.

Ashe is scheduled to compete in the opening heat of the men’s 100m first round at 10:10 a.m., with fellow Nigerian Adekalu Fakorede also drawn to compete in the preliminary round.

The number of athletes expected to qualify from each heat for the semifinals has yet to be officially stated.

The men’s 100m semifinals are scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on Tuesday.

In the women’s event, Miracle Oluebube Ezechukwu is the only Nigerian listed in the first round. She has been drawn in lane seven of the eighth and final heat.