Nigeria has recorded a landmark achievement in international academic competition after Team Nigeria emerged winner of the Gold Award in the Middle School Group category at the 2026 Spelling Bee World Cup in Shanghai, China.
The championship, which concluded on Monday, July 20, marked Nigeria’s first participation in the global contest. The country’s historic debut ended on a high note as Maryam Yusuf, Oluwadamilola Adeolu and Chinedu Okediachi won gold medals, while Abdurrahman Yusuf secured a silver medal to crown an outstanding performance by the Nigerian delegation.
Among the standout performers was Maryam Yusuf, a 14 year-old student of Ar Raheem International College, Ilorin, Kwara State, who wears the niqab.
Muslim News gathered that the young scholar played a significant role in Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup through her impressive performance at the African Spelling Bee Championship in Harare, Zimbabwe, earlier this year.
Niqabi student Maryam Yusuf, three others make history as Nigeria wins big in China
Nigeria has recorded a landmark achievement in international academic competition after Team Nigeria emerged winner of the Gold Award in the Middle School Group category at the 2026 Spelling Bee… pic.twitter.com/xb09FzrbJD
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) July 21, 2026
Her latest success in Shanghai has further cemented her place among Nigeria’s brightest young academic talents.
The Nigeria Spelling Bee announced the team’s success in a post shared on its official Facebook page, describing the achievement as another milestone in Nigeria’s growing record of excellence in international spelling competitions.
Muslim News learned that all four Nigerian contestants competed in the Middle School category, the only division in which Nigeria participated. The World Cup featured two categories, the Lower School category and the Middle School category.
The Nigerian team comprised Oluwadamilola Adeolu of St. Lawrence Metropolitan College, Ado Ekiti, Maryam Yusuf and Abdurrahman Yusuf of Ar Raheem International College, Ilorin, and Chinedu Okediachi of Madonna International Schools, Asaba.
Ar-Raheem International College also celebrated the success of its students, announcing on its Facebook page that Maryam Yusuf and Abdurrahman Yusuf returned from Shanghai as medal winners.
The school wrote, “Ar Raheem International College students Maryam Yusuf and Abdurrahman Yusuf won medals at the Spelling Bee World Cup final in Shanghai, China, 2026.”
Nigeria’s remarkable performance was the culmination of a journey that began with the Nigeria Spelling Bee before progressing to the African Spelling Bee Championship in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Did you see this 💃💃💃🎉🎉🎉🎉
Allahumma bareek 🤲 https://t.co/QDEuQMDEZ1— Maryam Shuiabu Aliyu (@Cyberhijabitech) July 20, 2026
At the continental championship, Oluwadamilola Adeolu emerged champion in the Junior category after defeating contestants from more than 30 African countries, while Abdurrahman Yusuf placed third.
Team Nigeria also finished as the second best performing country overall, earning qualification for its maiden appearance at the World Cup.
Although much of the public attention after the Harare competition focused on Adeolu’s individual title, Muslim News had earlier highlighted Maryam Yusuf’s vital contribution to Nigeria’s qualification for the global championship. Her performance, alongside those of her teammates, helped secure the country’s place at the World Cup in Shanghai. Read it HERE
Before departing for China, the Nigeria Spelling Bee described Nigeria’s qualification as a historic breakthrough, noting that the students had progressed from the national competition to the continental championship before earning the opportunity to compete against some of the world’s finest young spellers.
The organisers also expressed confidence that the four students would proudly represent Nigeria and the African continent on the global stage.
Their confidence was rewarded as Team Nigeria concluded the championship with the Gold Award in the Middle School Group category, while every member of the team returned home with a medal.
Media961: Questions trail apparent alteration of Niqabi student’s image in Vanguard’s World Spelling Bee report
Concerns have emerged over the apparent alteration of a photograph used by Vanguard Newspaper in its report on Nigeria’s historic outing at the 2026 Spelling Bee World… pic.twitter.com/ilvE6o5fK2
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) July 21, 2026
For Maryam Yusuf, however, the victory carries a deeper significance.
Days before the competition, the 14-year old became the subject of widespread online ridicule after photographs of Team Nigeria were shared on social media.
Rather than celebrate her academic accomplishment, some users mocked her because she wore the niqab, reducing her identity to her appearance instead of recognising her academic excellence.
Maryam refused to be distracted by the abuse. She remained focused on the competition and returned from Shanghai as one of Nigeria’s gold medal winners, transforming a story of prejudice into one of resilience, determination and excellence.
Her triumph sends a powerful message that wearing the hijab or the niqab is not a barrier to education, intellectual achievement or global success. Instead, it demonstrates that faith and excellence can coexist and that determination, discipline and hard work remain the true measures of accomplishment.
Nigeria’s impressive debut at the Spelling Bee World Cup also reflects the growing standard of academic competitions in the country and the commitment of the Nigeria Spelling Bee to nurturing young talents capable of competing with the best in the world.
By MUSLIM NEWS NIGERIA
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