Nigeria wins third powerlifting gold in Glasgow
Nigeria claimed an unprecedented third gold medal in para-powerlifting at the Commonwealth Games, but the boxing team suffered defeats in their respective bouts.
Nigeria claimed an unprecedented third gold medal in the para-powerlifting event at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Friday night. Riluwan Idris claimed Nigeria’s third gold medal in the event by winning the men’s heavyweight category, finishing in first place ahead of England’s Matthew Harding, who settled for silver, and Malaysia’s Nicodemus Manggoi Moses, who won bronze.
Idris lifted 200kg on his first attempt and improved to an impressive 208kg to seal the gold medal, with both Harding and Moses failing to lift beyond 200kg. Idris, however, failed to set a Games record on his third lift as he attempted to break the 121kg record. The 23-year-old’s gold medal is the third won by Nigeria at the Games, with six medals won so far all achieved in para-powerlifting. It surpassed the two gold medals and five-medal haul Nigeria achieved in para-powerlifting at Birmingham 2022.
In other events, two Nigerian boxers suffered defeats in their respective bouts. Abdulramon Abdulwahab was pummeled 5-0 by Uganda’s Nuhu Batte in the men’s 65kg category, while Ayomide Hassan Foly suffered a similar fate at the hands of Lesotho’s Refiloe Thai, losing 4-0. It was, however, mixed fortunes in the 3x3 basketball event, with Nigeria defeating the Cayman Islands 21-17 in its first game, but subsequently losing to both Australia and New Zealand 21-15 and 21-10 respectively.
Idris’s gold medal extends Nigeria’s dominance in para-powerlifting. The country has now won six medals in the sport, all of them in para-powerlifting. The performance in para-powerlifting is a testament to the strength of Nigeria’s para-sports programme and the dedication of its athletes.
This echoes the 2022 Commonwealth Games, when Nigeria also dominated para-powerlifting. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: Nigerian para-powerlifters proving they are the best in the world.
The winners: Riluwan Idris, who has won gold; and Team Nigeria, which continues to dominate para-powerlifting. The losers: the boxing team, which suffered defeats; and the 3x3 basketball team, which lost two games.
Bottom Line: Nigeria has won its third powerlifting gold in Glasgow. The country is dominating the sport. The question is whether the momentum can carry over to other disciplines.