Onwuzurike and Enekwechi Secure Podium Finishes in Budapest Ahead of Commonwealth Games
Nigeria’s Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike continued his impressive preparations for the 2026 Commonwealth Games by equalling his season’s best time of 20.18 seconds to finish third in the men’s 200m at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial, the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix, in Budapest on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old former World Under-20 champion produced another strong performance but finished behind Morocco’s Yassine Hssine, who claimed victory in 19.92 seconds, and Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba, who placed second in 20.09 seconds.
Onwuzurike will now travel to Aberdeen, Scotland, to join Team Nigeria’s training camp ahead of the Commonwealth Games, which get underway on July 23 in Glasgow.
The Nigerian sprinter is set to make his second appearance at the Commonwealth Games after finishing sixth in the 200m on his debut in Birmingham four years ago. He also played a key role in Nigeria’s 4x100m relay team, which secured the bronze medal.
In the men’s Shot Put, fellow Nigerian Chukwuebuka Enekwechi also earned a podium finish after placing third with a best throw of 21.48m, achieved with his sixth and final attempt.
Enekwechi had been in fifth place heading into the final round before producing his best effort of the competition to climb into the top three.
The 33-year-old, an Olympian, World Championships finalist and Diamond League competitor, is preparing for his third Commonwealth Games appearance.
He won the silver medal on his debut in 2018 before narrowly missing out on another podium finish in Birmingham in 2022, where he finished fourth.
As he heads to Glasgow, Enekwechi will be aiming to improve on his previous performances and challenge for the Commonwealth title, while Onwuzurike looks to build on his encouraging form as Nigeria targets success on the athletics track.
