Badmus, Nweke Awarded 2026 Athletics Uplift Network Scholarships
Gafari Badmus and Chioma Nweke have both been named recipients of the 2026 Athletics Uplift Network Scholarship, a prestigious sponsorship programme designed to support Nigeria’s most promising young athletes.
Badmus, born in July 2007 in Ogun State, earned the male category award after a remarkable 2025 season that saw him dominate the men’s 400m.
The reigning national champion clocked a personal best of 45.71 seconds in the 400m and 21.64 seconds in the 200m, while impressively recording more than six sub-46-second runs across the year. His consistency and reliability established him as one of Nigeria’s brightest quarter-milers.
The scholarship committee, comprising Dr. Henry Okorie (AFN Athletes’ Representative), Ese Oguma (CEO, Athletics Heat), and Olabanji Ayegbusi (Founder, Dynamic Athletics), highlighted Badmus’s achievements, including gold at the CAA U18 and U20 Championships, victory at the National Athletics Championships in YabaTech, double gold at the CAA Region II Championships in Ghana, and medals at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia.
With the scholarship support, expectations are high for Badmus to elevate his performances even further in 2026.
In the female category, Edo State-born sprinter Chioma Nweke, born in July 2006, was honoured for her rapid rise in Nigerian athletics.
The national 100m champion boasts a personal best of 11.56 seconds in the 100m and 24.35 seconds in the 200m. Her 2025 season was decorated with gold medals at the CAA U18 and U20 Championships in Abeokuta, the National Athletics Championships, the CAA Region II Championships in Ghana, and the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia.
The same three-man committee praised Nweke’s consistency and dominance, noting that she is well-positioned for a breakout 2026 season, with major targets including the African Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
Together, Badmus and Nweke represent the new wave of Nigerian athletics, and with the backing of the Athletics Uplift Network, both athletes are expected to shine even brighter on the continental and global stage.
