Abduljabar Adama missed out on a medal, but the 18-year-old still made Nigerian swimming history by becoming the first Nigerian man to reach a Commonwealth Games final in the 50m butterfly.
Adama placed fifth in the men’s 50m butterfly final at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, recording 23.42 seconds in a field featuring several of the sport’s leading swimmers.
Australia took control of the medal race, with Kyle Chalmers and Ben Armbruster sharing gold after both matched the Games record of 22.73 seconds. Cameron McEvoy completed the podium after stopping the clock at 22.92 seconds for bronze.
Canada’s Joshua Liendo finished fourth, one place ahead of Adama. England’s Jacob Peters, South Africa’s Calvyn Justus and Scotland’s Dean Fearn also contested the final.
While he fell just short of a podium finish, Adama’s presence in the championship race represented a landmark moment for Nigeria’s swimming programme.
The teenager had already caught attention by progressing through the heats and semi-finals, becoming the first Nigerian swimmer to qualify for the event’s final.
The latest milestone follows a rapid rise that began in 2025, when Adama became the first Nigerian swimmer to win a World Aquatics Junior Championships medal. He took silver in the men’s 50m butterfly in Otopeni, Romania.
At that championship, Adama lowered the Nigerian record twice in the same day before completing his historic run with a silver medal.
The Mount Kelly Swimming Academy swimmer has continued to develop impressively and is considered one of Nigeria’s leading young prospects ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where the men’s 50m butterfly is set to make its Olympic debut.
