After failing to win Commonwealth gold in 2018 and missing out on a medal in 2022, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi finally achieved his dream at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. But reaching the top of the podium at Glasgow was far from easy. After celebrating the victory, the Nigerian shot put star opened up about the pain behind the powerful throws that finally made him a Commonwealth champion.

On July 30, Enekwechi made history at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with the victory, becoming the first Nigerian man to win the Commonwealth men’s shot put title. He secured gold with a throw of 21.07m, finishing ahead of New Zealand’s Tom Walsh, who won silver with 21.03m, while England’s Scott Lincoln claimed bronze with 20.99m.

But behind that winning throw was years of physical sacrifice of handling one of athletics’ heaviest implements. Shortly after becoming Commonwealth champion, Enekwechi revealed the hidden toll of the sport and explained why shot put is far more demanding than it appears. “The actual weight of a shot is 16 pounds, so that’s 7.26 kilos,” Enekwechi said. “It’s the weight of the heaviest bowling ball, but it’s the size of a grapefruit.”

The force needed to repeatedly throw the shot changes the body over time, especially the hands and fingers. “So our hands become catapults,” he explained. “Our fingers can’t bend back as much as they’re supposed to, so they get tough and arthritic just to be able to maintain our shape as throwers.” Years of training have also given him a level of strength that affects his everyday life.

“I’m afraid of my own strength, so I don’t like to pick up little kids or little animals,” Enekwechi admitted. Even signing autographs after competitions can become difficult “because my hand looks like a jellyfish after we’re done for the next 30 minutes or so,” he said. Despite the challenges, Enekwechi is still chasing more success after heartbreaks.

Years of heartbreak before finally reaching the top

In 2016, Enekwechi was still trying to establish himself as one of Nigeria’s leading shot putters. After completing his college career at Purdue University, he returned to Nigeria and won his first national title in the event. His biggest target that year was securing a place at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The Olympic qualifying mark for men’s shot put was 20.50m, but Enekwechi’s personal best throw of 20.45m left him just five centimetres short.

That narrow miss meant he watched the Olympics from home. Two years later, Enekwechi finally reached the Commonwealth podium. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, he produced a strong throw of 21.14m to win silver, again missing the gold medal. When he returned to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, expectations were high. 

But the competition ended in disappointment as he finished fourth in the final with a throw of 20.36m, missing out on another chance to stand on the podium. The Nigerian continued to progress, and the 2024 Paris Olympics became one of the strongest moments of his career. Enekwechi successfully reached the men’s shot put final and produced a throw of 21.42m at the Stade de France on August 3, 2024, finishing sixth overall. 

After years of chasing major titles and falling short, Enekwechi finally achieved his Commonwealth dream in Glasgow in 2026.But he is not finished yet. Following his Commonwealth Games triumph, the Nigerian star has set his sights on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. “If I do everything right, stay healthy, and have the proper funding, it’s possible,” Enekwechi said. “2028’s a soft deadline for me.” At 33 years old, Enekwechi believes he still has time to compete at the highest level.