Nigeria, Aug. 5 -- For many years, Team Nigeria followed a familiar pattern at major international competitions.

Whenever the gold medals came, it was usually the women who led the way.

That trend was most evident at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, where all 11 of Nigeria's gold medals were won by female athletes.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Nigerian women won six of the country's nine gold medals, while the men claimed three. Interestingly, the Nigerian contingent had more men (51) than women (37).

The same pattern had been visible at several other international competitions.

The story was similar at the 2023 African Games in Ghana. Although women made up less than half of Team Nigeria's athletes...