Nigeria's weightlifters smash Commonwealth Games records with triple gold in Glasgow

Nigeria's weightlifting trio delivered a historic triple‑gold performance at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on July 28, setting new Games records in three weight categories. Rafiatu Folashade Lawal lifted a combined 229kg in the women's 58kg class – a 103kg snatch followed by a 126kg clean‑and‑jerk – to beat Canada's Ann‑Sophie Taschereau (215kg) and India's Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam (199kg). Earlier, Edidiong Joseph Umoafia posted a record 319kg in the men's 71kg division (147kg snatch, 172kg clean‑and‑jerk), ahead of Samoa's John Lautafi Tafi (314kg) and Nauru's Ezekiel Moses (310kg). Onome Omolola Didih completed the sweep with a 206kg total in the women's 53kg class, opening with a 93kg snatch that also set a new Commonwealth and Games record; India's Gyaneshwari Yadav took silver (199kg) and Canada's Rebeka Groulx bronze (178kg).

The victories lifted Nigeria's medal haul to six gold and four silver, strengthening its position on the leaderboard and adding to earlier para‑powerlifting golds by Esther Nworgu, Folashade Oluwafemiayo and Riluwan Idris, plus silvers from Esther Oyema, Roland Ezuruike and Rita Ferdinand.

What does this surge of success mean for the future of Nigerian weightlifting and the broader sports ecosystem? Will it spur greater investment in grassroots programmes, inspire more youth to take up the sport, or prompt policymakers to prioritize funding for high‑performance training centres?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/07/28/record-breaking-trio-fire-nigeria-to-commonwealth-games-glory/