Nigeria’s weightlifters have stamped their authority at the 2026 African Senior Weightlifting Championships and 16th Mediterranean Cup in Ismailia, Egypt, winning 10 gold and five silver medals after two days of competition.
The championships, which also serve as qualifiers for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, have seen Nigeria emerge as one of the dominant forces in the competition, with the women’s contingent leading the charge in spectacular fashion.
Ruth Asuquo, Onome Didih and Rafiat Lawal were the architects of Nigeria’s golden run, each claiming three gold medals in their respective categories to account for nine of the country’s 10 golds.
Asuquo set the tone in the women’s 48kg category, lifting 74kg in the snatch to finish well ahead of Madagascar’s Tendry Tsiky Mahavy Rakotonoely, who took silver with 60kg, while Tunisia’s Maissa Khadhraoui claimed bronze with 59kg. In the clean and jerk, she cleared 93kg for another gold ahead of Khadhraoui’s 78kg and Rakotonoely’s 76kg. Her combined total of 167kg completed a clean sweep, with Tunisia taking silver on 137kg and Madagascar bronze on 136kg.
Didih was equally commanding in the women’s 53kg category. The Nigerian lifted 87kg in the snatch to beat Egypt’s 79kg and South Africa’s 75kg, then followed up with 105kg in the clean and jerk to again edge both rivals, who each managed 98kg. Her combined total of 192kg sealed a third gold, with Egypt finishing on 177kg and South Africa on 173kg.
Lawal then extended Nigeria’s dominance with a clean sweep in the women’s 58kg division, reinforcing the country’s superiority in the women’s events and further boosting their 2026 Commonwealth Games qualification prospects.
In the men’s 65kg category, Favour Agboro delivered a spirited performance, winning one gold and two silvers. He lifted 123kg in the snatch to finish second behind Egypt’s Mohamed Mahmoud Noureldin’s 132kg, while Tunisia’s Mohamed Amine Bouhajba took bronze with 121kg.
Agboro bounced back strongly in the clean and jerk, lifting 157kg to claim gold ahead of Noureldin’s 156kg and Tunisia’s 146kg. His combined total of 280kg earned silver, with Noureldin winning the overall gold on 288kg and Tunisia taking bronze on 267kg.
Ruth Ayodele also delivered for Nigeria in the women’s 63kg category, picking up three silver medals. She lifted 90kg in the snatch, just behind Tunisia’s Chaina Rahmouni’s 91kg, and added another silver in the clean and jerk with 110kg, again finishing one kilogram adrift of the Tunisian. Her overall total also earned silver, with Madagascar’s Soloniaina Randriamparany taking bronze.
Nigeria Weightlifting Federation President Dr Ibrahim Abdul expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, National Sports Commission Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko and NSC Director General Bukola Olopade for their support.
“Your unwavering commitment to sports development continues to inspire Nigerian athletes to excel and make the nation proud on the international stage,” Abdul said.
Nigeria have 10 athletes competing in Ismailia, with three men and two women still to compete and expected to add to the country’s medal haul before the championships conclude.
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