Tayo Ogunseye
Team Nigeria delivered another commanding performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Monday, winning three weightlifting gold medals and recording impressive sprint performances to underline the country’s growing dominance at the Games.
The day’s heroics were spearheaded by weightlifters Edidiong Joseph Umoafia, Onome Didih and Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, who all claimed gold in record-breaking fashion to take Nigeria’s gold medal tally to six.
Umoafia opened Nigeria’s golden harvest in the men’s 71kg category, producing a Commonwealth Games record total lift of 319kg. He set a new Games record with 147kg in the snatch before adding 172kg in the clean and jerk to finish ahead of Samoa’s Joseph Tafi (314kg) and Nauru’s Elgin Moses (310kg).
The momentum continued in the women’s 53kg event as Onome Didih produced a dominant display to clinch the country’s fifth gold medal.
She rewrote the Commonwealth Games record books with lifts of 93kg in the snatch, 113kg in the clean and jerk and a total of 206kg.
India’s Gyaneshwari Yadav settled for silver with a combined lift of 199kg, while Canada’s Rebeka Groulx claimed bronze with 178kg.
Rounding off a remarkable day for Nigerian weightlifting, defending champion Rafiatu Folashade Lawal powered to victory in the women’s 58kg event, smashing both Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth records.
Lawal lifted 103kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk for a record total of 229kg, finishing a commanding 14kg ahead of Canada’s Ann-Sophie Taschereau, who claimed silver with 215kg.
In line with the National Sports Commission’s incentive package, each gold medallist received an instant cash reward of $5,000, along with an additional $5,000 performance bonus paid directly into their accounts.
Nigeria also enjoyed a productive outing on the athletics track as its sprinters advanced confidently to the semifinals of the men’s and women’s 100 metres.
Favour Ashe cruised to victory in the opening heat of the men’s 100m, clocking 10.10 seconds to qualify for Tuesday’s semifinals. Nicholas Fakorede also secured his place after finishing second in Heat 10 with a time of 10.21 seconds behind Lesotho’s Mojela Koneshe, whose winning time of 10.07 seconds established a new national record. The duo will be joined in the semifinals by national record holder Kayinsola Ajayi, who received a bye.
Seventeen-year-old Commonwealth Games debutant Miracle Ezechukwu also impressed, winning her women’s 100m heat in 11.32 seconds from lane eight to qualify automatically for the semifinals. She finished ahead of Barbados’ Kishawna Niles and Ghana’s Deborah Acheampong and will be joined by Blessing Ogundiran and Rosemary Chukwuma, giving Nigeria three representatives in the women’s semifinal.
There was, however, disappointment in the women’s hammer throw, where Sade Olatoye finished 10th in Group A after recording a best throw of 62.75 metres on her second attempt.
With six gold medals already secured and several medal events still to come, Team Nigeria remains firmly on course for an outstanding outing at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, buoyed by a string of record-breaking performances and growing confidence across multiple sports.
