Praise Ugoh powered through the final metres to win the women’s 400m final and become the first Nigerian to take a 400m title at the Youth Olympics.
Ugoh produced a personal best in the women’s 400m final, clocking 52.76 seconds to claim gold for Nigeria.
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.
Praise Ugoh Wins Gold
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 also underscores her career path, competing in her first major global 400m final after switching to the 400m this year.
The sprinter has now added the 400m to her catalogue with impressive times in the 100m, 200m and 400m.
- 11.39 – 100m
- 23.28 – 200m
- 52.76 – 400m
Her triumph follows Nigeria’s outstanding 100m success 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.
