Nigerian athletes secure 10 medals with record-breaking powerlifting, weightlifting displays
Nigeria Athletes have won 10 medals in total, with six gold and four silver at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games after four days of competition, with powerlifting and weightlifting accounting for the country’s entire medal awards.
Nigeria Athletes have won 10 medals in total, with six gold and four silver at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games after four days of competition, with powerlifting and weightlifting accounting for the country’s entire medal awards.
Day Four saw Nigeria’s weightlifters win three more medals. Edidiong Joseph Umoafia,an athlete won the Commonwealth Games title in the men’s 71kg event after lifting a Games record 147kg in the snatch before adding 172kg in the clean and jerk for a record total of 319kg.
Onome Omolola Didih, another athlete also dominated the women’s 53kg event, setting Commonwealth Games records with a 93kg snatch, a 113kg clean and jerk and a 206kg total to win gold.
Rafiatu Folashade Lawal rounded off the event by defending her Commonwealth Games title in the women’s 58kg event. She lifted 103kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk for a Games record total of 229kg, setting Commonwealth Games records in all three categories and finishing 14kg ahead of Canada’s Ann-Sophie Taschereau.
Nigeria’s tournament started on Day One with a display in para powerlifting, where they won six medals,three gold and three silver,while setting multiple Commonwealth Games and world records.
Roland Ezuruike opened Nigeria’s account by winning the country’s first medal of the Games, claiming Silver in the men’s lightweight Group A para powerlifting event with 153.9 points. He came very close to gold after missing a Games record lift of 190kg on his final attempt.
The women then took centre stage as Esther Nworgu delivered Nigeria’s first GOLD medal of the Games. She lifted 123kg to score 119 points and win the women’s lightweight title, leading a Nigerian one-two finish alongside Esther Oyema,an athlete who claimed Silver.
The winnings continued with Folashade Oluwafemiayo, who produced one of the performances of the Games. The Nigerian athlete broke her own world record twice before lifting an astonishing 175kg to set a new all-time world record in women’s para powerlifting and secure GOLD with 134.8 points. Rita Ferdinand,an athlete completed another Nigerian one to two after lifting 158kg to win Silver setting a new world record in her weight class.
Riluwan Idris won Nigeria’s third GOLD medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, claiming the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting title with a massive 208kg lift in Glasgow scoring 132.8 points.
With three GOLD medals, three Silver medals and multiple performances on Day1,Nigeria gave a promising start to its Glasgow 2026 campaign.
Nigeria did not win a medal on Day Two, but returned to the competition on Day Three with Ruth Asuquo Nyong,who won silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event.She lifted a total of 168kg to 75kg in the snatch and 93kg in the clean and jerk to finish behind India’s Mirabai Saikhom.
After four days of competition, Team Nigeria’s medal haul records six gold and four silver medals, with finishes from para powerlifting and weightlifting. The performances have featured multiple Commonwealth Games records, world records and two Nigerian one-two finishes, leaving Nigeria among the leading nations on the medal table as athletics, boxing, wrestling and other medal events continue in Glasgow.
