Nigeria's weightlifting team delivered a dominant performance on Day 4 of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, securing three gold medals and setting multiple Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth records. The victories propelled Team Nigeria to fourth place on the overall medal table with six gold and four silver medals, a total of 10 medals at the close of the day's competition.
Edidiong Joseph Umoafia Opens with a Record-Breaking Win
Edidiong Joseph Umoafia set the tone early in the men's 71kg category, winning gold with a Commonwealth Games record total of 319kg. According to ACL Sports, he opened with a Games record lift of 147kg in the snatch, then followed with 172kg in the clean and jerk. The total of 319kg placed him ahead of Samoa's Joseph Tafi (314kg) and Nauru's Elgin Moses (310kg), who took silver and bronze respectively.
Onome Didih Claims Women's 53kg Gold with Double Record
In the women's 53kg event, Onome Didih captured gold after breaking Commonwealth Games records in both the snatch and clean and jerk. She lifted 93kg in the snatch and 113kg in the clean and jerk, achieving a total of 206kg—a new Commonwealth Games record. India's Gyaneshwari Yadav earned silver with 199kg, while Canada's Rebeka Groulx took bronze with 178kg.
Rafiatu Folashade Lawal Defends Title with Record Performance
The standout performance of the day came from Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, who successfully defended her Commonwealth Games title in the women's 58kg category. Lawal, the reigning champion from Birmingham 2022, broke both Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth records with a snatch of 103kg and a clean and jerk of 126kg, for a record total of 229kg. She finished a commanding 14kg ahead of Canada's Ann-Sophie Taschereau.
Track and Field Athletes Progress in Heats
Nigeria also made progress on the track. Favour Ashe won Heat 1 of the men's 100m in 10.10 seconds, while Nicholas Fakorede qualified from Heat 10 with a time of 10.21 seconds, finishing behind Lesotho's Mojela Koneshe, who set a national record of 10.07 seconds. Both men joined Kayinsola Ajayi in the semi-finals scheduled for Tuesday.
On her Commonwealth Games debut, Oluebube Ezechukwu won Heat 8 of the women's 100m in 11.32 seconds, ahead of Barbados' Kishawna Niles and Ghana's Deborah Acheampong. She advanced alongside Blessing Ogundiran and Rosemary Chukwuma.
Field Events and Wheelchair Basketball
In field events, four-time Nigerian champion Sade Olatoye qualified for the women's hammer throw final with a best throw of 62.75m. Olatoye, who finished fourth at the Birmingham 2022 Games, will aim for an improved result in Tuesday's final.
In wheelchair basketball, Nigeria's women's 3x3 team secured their first win of the Games, defeating India 7-6 in a tight contest. The team trailed by two points with under two minutes remaining before mounting a comeback. Nofisat Adefala contributed six of the seven points, while Titilayo Olaleye scored the other.
Team Nigeria's Medal Tally
By the end of Day 4, Team Nigeria had accumulated a total of 10 medals: six gold and four silver, placing the country fourth on the overall Commonwealth Games medal table, according to reports from Yahoo Sports. The weightlifting trio's gold medals significantly boosted Nigeria's standing, continuing a strong tradition in the sport at the Commonwealth level.
