Nigeria have won their fifth gold medal at the ongoing 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with Onome Didih setting new Commonwealth Games records in all three categories to claim the women’s 53kg weightlifting title.
Didih set new record-breaking performance, setting new Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth records in all three stages of the competition to dominate the event.
She opened the snatch with 93kg, a new Games and Commonwealth record, before raising the bar further with a successful 113kg lift in the clean and jerk.
Her combined total of 206kg also set another Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth record as she finished comfortably ahead of India’s Gyaneshwari Yadav, who settled for silver with 199kg, while Canada’s Rebeka Groulx claimed bronze with 178kg.
The victory came shortly after Edidiong Joseph Umoafia had earlier secured Nigeria’s fourth gold medal of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in the men’s 71kg weightlifting event.
Umoafia also set a Commonwealth Games record with a combine lift of 319kg, comprising 147kg in the snatch and 172kg in the clean and jerk.
Samoa’s Joseph Tafi won silver with 314kg, while Elgin Moses of Nauru took bronze after finishing with 310kg.
The back-to-back weightlifting triumphs have further strengthened Nigeria’s medal campaign in Glasgow, with the country continuing to build on its strong tradition in the sport and para powerlifting.
Earlier in the Games, Esther Nworgu had secured Nigeria’s first gold medal in the women’s lightweight para powerlifting event, setting a new Commonwealth Games record with 119.0 points.
Meanwhile, the National Sports Commission has also increased the reward package for Nigerian gold medallists, with each gold medallist now entitled to a total of $10,000, comprising $5,000 in instant cash and another $5,000 to be paid directly into their bank account.
Before Didih’s final lift, the Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, had reportedly promised Didih an additional $2,000 under the commission’s motivation initiative.
