Ruth Usoro claimed silver in the women’s long jump at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Saturday, producing a season’s best of 6.87m (+2.7) on her very first attempt to secure the podium finish, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
- +Usoro leaps to long jump silver in Glasgow
Usoro led for much of the competition after her opening leap, before fouling on her next two attempts, but the effort proved enough to hold second place.
Usoro led for much of the competition after her opening leap, before fouling on her next two attempts, but the effort proved enough to hold second place.
Only England’s Jazmin Sawyers jumped further, clearing 6.93m to successfully defend her Commonwealth title, while Australia’s Brooke Buschkuehl took bronze with 6.80m.
The result marks a significant improvement for Usoro, who finished sixth at the last Commonwealth Games. Born in Akwa Ibom State and raised in Lagos, the 28-year-old first made her name in the United States, where she became one of the most decorated athletes in NCAA history while representing Texas Tech University, winning multiple collegiate titles in both the long jump and triple jump.
In 2021, she became the first Nigerian athlete, male or female, to qualify for both the long jump and triple jump at the Olympic Games, and a year later she and Ese Brume made history by becoming the first Nigerian duo to reach a World Championships long jump final together.
Usoro has since gone on to represent Nigeria at the World Athletics Championships, the African Championships and the Olympic Games, where she placed tenth in the long jump at Paris 2024, and she also holds the All-African Games title in the triple jump.
Her silver in Glasgow, achieved with her season’s best mark, adds another senior medal to a career that has steadily built her reputation as one of Africa’s finest field athletes.
Facing a world-class field that included the defending champion and an experienced Australian rival, Usoro remained composed throughout the competition before her opening leap ultimately proved decisive in securing her place on the podium.
