African record holder Chukwuebuka Enekwechi and sprint star Udodi Onwuzurike gave Nigeria a timely lift ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, both securing third-place finishes at the Gyulai István Memorial – Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix in Budapest.
Enekwechi took bronze in the men’s shot put with a best throw of 21.48 metres, finishing behind Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri (22.04m) and Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell (21.52m).
Onwuzurike matched his season’s best of 20.18 seconds to claim third in the 200m, as Morocco’s Yassine Hssine won in a national record of 19.92 seconds and Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba clocked 20.09 seconds for second.
The double podium finish offers a timely confidence boost for Team Nigeria as final preparations intensify for Glasgow.
Elsewhere in Budapest, Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme blazed to 100m victory in 9.99 seconds—the only sub-10 effort of the day—ahead of Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu (10.01) and Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake (10.04). Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga also signalled his Commonwealth credentials with a season-best 44.02 seconds to win the 400m.
With African and Caribbean athletes firing on all cylinders, the Commonwealth medal races are already shaping up as fiercely competitive.
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