Nigeria’s weightlifting team has continued its dominant outing at the ongoing 2026 African Senior Weightlifting Championships and 16th Mediterranean Cup in Ismailia, Egypt, amassing an impressive haul of 10 gold medals and five silver medals after two days of competition, Trybal News reports.
The championships, which also serve as qualification events for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, have seen Team Nigeria emerge as one of the standout nations, with the country’s female lifters producing exceptional performances across several weight categories.
Nigeria’s medal charge has been led by Ruth Nyong Asuquo, Onome Omolola Didih, and Rafiat Afolashade Lawal, with each athlete claiming three gold medals in their respective categories to account for nine of Nigeria’s 10 gold medals so far at the championships.
Competing in the women’s 48kg category, Ruth Nyong Asuquo delivered a commanding performance to sweep all three gold medals available in her division. She lifted 74kg in the snatch to finish ahead of Madagascar’s Tendry Tsiky Mahavy Rakotonoely, who claimed silver with 60kg, while Tunisia’s Maissa Khadhraoui settled for bronze with 59kg.
Nyong followed up with another dominant display in the clean and jerk, successfully lifting 93kg to secure her second gold medal ahead of Tunisia’s Khadhraoui and Madagascar’s Rakotonoely. Her combined total of 167kg earned her a third gold medal to complete a remarkable clean sweep.
Nigeria maintained its dominance in the women’s 53kg category through Onome Omolola Didih, who also secured gold medals in the snatch, clean and jerk, and overall total.
Didih lifted 87kg in the snatch to finish ahead of Egypt’s representative, who managed 79kg, while South Africa claimed bronze with 75kg. In the clean and jerk, the Nigerian lifted 105kg to secure another gold medal ahead of both Egypt and South Africa, who recorded 98kg each.
Her combined total of 192kg sealed a third gold medal, comfortably ahead of Egypt’s 177kg and South Africa’s 173kg.
Rafiat Afolashade Lawal further extended Nigeria’s golden run in the women’s 58kg category, where she completed another clean sweep of three gold medals to underline Nigeria’s superiority in the women’s events and further strengthen the country’s qualification hopes for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
In the men’s 65kg category, Favour Omovigho Agboro delivered one of Nigeria’s strongest performances on the men’s side, securing one gold medal and two silver medals in a fiercely contested division.
Agboro lifted 123kg in the snatch to finish second behind Egypt’s Mohamed Mahmoud Noureldin, who recorded 132kg, while Tunisia’s Mohamed Amine Bouhajba took bronze with 121kg.
The Nigerian responded impressively in the clean and jerk, lifting 157kg to claim gold ahead of Noureldin’s 156kg, while Tunisia finished third with 146kg. Agboro’s combined total of 280kg earned him another silver medal, with the Egyptian taking overall gold on 288kg.
Nigeria also secured additional podium finishes through Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele in the women’s 63kg category, where she won three silver medals after a strong and composed performance.
Ayodele lifted 90kg in the snatch to finish just behind Tunisia’s Chaina Rahmouni, who managed 91kg. She added another silver medal in the clean and jerk with a lift of 110kg, only one kilogram behind the Tunisian athlete.
Her overall total also earned her a silver medal, while Madagascar’s Soloniaina Randriamparany secured bronze in the category.
The Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, led by its President Dr Ibrahim Abdul, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, and the Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, for their continued support towards Team Nigeria’s participation at the championships.
“Your unwavering commitment to sports development continues to inspire Nigerian athletes to excel and make the nation proud on the international stage,” Dr Abdul stated.
A total of 10 Nigerian athletes are representing the country in Ismailia, with the remaining competitors expected to add more medals before the conclusion of the championships.
