Oji wins Nigeria’s first-ever shot put world title
August 8, 2026 12:41 am
PHOTO: Jessica Oji
By Peter Akinbo
Nigeria’s Jessica Oji has become the first Nigerian to win a world title in a field event at any level after claiming gold in the women’s shot put at the 2026 World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Oregon.
The teenager produced a championship-winning throw of 18.08 metres to seal the historic triumph, capping a remarkable run of form that has established her as one of the world’s most promising young athletes. Oji announced her intentions from the opening round with a throw of 18.05m to take an early lead, before improving to 18.08m on her second attempt, a mark that proved unbeatable for the remainder of the competition.
With gold already secured heading into her final attempt, she underlined her dominance with another effort of 18.07m, just one centimetre shy of her winning distance.
Ecuador’s Belsy Jennifer Quinonez claimed silver with a best throw of 17.90m, while Germany’s Emily Scherf settled for bronze.
Oji had signalled her title ambitions during qualification, where she threw 17.56m to finish first overall and advance comfortably to the final. Her gold in
Oregon comes just weeks after an impressive outing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where she won silver in the women’s shot put against senior competitors before travelling to the United States for the World U-20 Championships.
The victory marks a watershed moment for Nigerian athletics, breaking new ground in a discipline where the country has historically enjoyed greater success on the track and in the jumps, and provides a major boost for Team Nigeria’s campaign at the championships.
Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories
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