Alli Impressed by Nigeria’s First-Class Games Preparation, Ochonogor Added to Team Nigeria

Former Commonwealth Games long jump champion Yusuf Alli has praised Team Nigeria’s pre-Games preparation camp in Aberdeen, Scotland, describing it as the best he has seen involving a Nigerian team.

Alli, who is chairman of the Elite Performance Board and a former World Championships and Olympic long jump finalist, expressed his satisfaction with the arrangements put in place ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

‘The Aberdeen camp is nice, the best I have seen with the Nigerian team,’ Alli wrote in a message to Sportsnow.com.ng.

The 1983 World Universities Games champion commended the National Sports Commission, particularly its leadership under Mallam Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade, for making athletes’ welfare a priority in the build-up to the Games.

Alli believes the improved preparation and support system will motivate the athletes to deliver strong performances when competition begins.

‘We just need to keep the momentum and stay focused,’ he added.

The former long jumper remains one of Nigeria’s greatest athletes in the event. His national record of 8.27m, set in 1989, is yet to be broken.

Alli is also one of only two Nigerian men to have won Commonwealth Games long jump gold. He made history by becoming Nigeria’s first men’s long jump champion at the Games in 1990, while Obinna Eregbu later claimed the title in 1994.

Meanwhile, Alli revealed that reigning Nigerian champion Prestina Ochonogor has been added to Team Nigeria’s athletics squad for Glasgow 2026.

The 20-year-old long jumper is currently Nigeria’s top-ranked female athlete in the event and leads the country’s 2026 rankings after recording a personal best of 6.69m in Arkansas, USA, in February.