{"id":947,"date":"2026-05-25T11:28:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/onyinyechi-mark-smashes-world-and-african-records-as-nigeria-bags-13-medals\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T11:28:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:28:13","slug":"onyinyechi-mark-smashes-world-and-african-records-as-nigeria-bags-13-medals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/onyinyechi-mark-smashes-world-and-african-records-as-nigeria-bags-13-medals\/","title":{"rendered":"Onyinyechi Mark smashes world and African records as Nigeria bags 13 medals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Onyinyechi Mark Gift made history at the African Open Para-Powerlifting Championships in Oran, Algeria on Saturday, smashing both the world and African benchmarks in the women\u2019s 67kg class. Her record-setting effort powered a commanding performance that helped Nigeria close the event with 13 medals in total.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Venue: Oran, Algeria<\/li>\n<li>Event: African Open Para-Powerlifting Championships<\/li>\n<li>Standout: Onyinyechi Mark Gift set new world and African records in the women\u2019s 67kg category<\/li>\n<li>Nigeria\u2019s total medals: 13<\/li>\n<li>Final-day additions: 2 gold and 1 silver, taking Nigeria to 7 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze<\/li>\n<li>Other gold: Folashade Oluwafemiayo won in the women\u2019s +86kg<\/li>\n<li>Women\u2019s 50kg final: Ajiboye Rukayat beat Anigbogu Chikordi Esther by 1kg (115kg to 114kg)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The breakthrough lift proved the defining feature of the last day, as Nigeria boosted its medal position with two more golds and a silver. That push brought the overall tally to seven gold medals, three silver medals and three bronze medals across the championships.<\/p>\n<p>Folashade Oluwafemiayo then added another title for Nigeria, taking gold in the women\u2019s +86kg division. In the women\u2019s 50kg event, the competition delivered a dramatic all-Nigerian showdown, with Ajiboye Rukayat edging Anigbogu Chikordi Esther by just one kilogram\u2014115kg to 114kg\u2014to claim first place, while Esther had to settle for silver.<\/p>\n<p>With 13 medals gathered throughout the meet, Nigeria\u2019s results reinforce its status as the leading force in para-powerlifting on the continent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Onyinyechi Mark Gift made history at the African Open Para-Powerlifting Championships in Oran, Algeria on Saturday, smashing both the world and African benchmarks in the women\u2019s 67kg class. Her record-setting effort powered a commanding performance that helped Nigeria close the event with 13 medals in total. Quick facts Venue: Oran, Algeria Event: African Open Para-Powerlifting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Onyinyechi Mark Gift Sets World Record in Para Powerlifting","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Onyinyechi Mark Gift sets world and African records in para powerlifting as Nigeria wins 13 medals at the African Open in Oran, Al","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Onyinyechi Mark Gift Sets World Record in Para Powerlifting<\/title>\n<meta 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