•Jessica Oji (C)
Team Nigeria’s Jessica Oji has made history as the country’s first-ever field-event gold medallist at the World U20 Athletics Championships, winning the women’s shot put title with a sensational throw of 18.08m in Oregon.
Oji, who recently won Silver at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, produced an outstanding series of 18.05m, 18.08m, 17.95m, 18.07m, showing remarkable consistency to secure the historic victory, reports Channels TV.
Before Oji’s triumph, Nigeria had never won a field event title at the World U20 Athletics Championships.
In fact, the nation had claimed only two field event medals in the competition’s history: Esther Aghatise’s silver medal in the women’s long jump in 2002 and Chinecherem Nnamdi’s bronze medal in the men’s javelin throw in 2021.
The victory marks another significant milestone in what has been an impressive season for the athlete.
Her landmark achievement now delivers a breakthrough moment for Nigerian athletics but also ends the country’s long wait for a field event champion at the World U20 Championships.
