Nigeria remained second in the medals standings at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, trailing Australia at the top, as the Para Powerlifting action unfolded.
The country added to its haul in the Para Powerlifting competition, winning its third gold medal of the event through Riluwan Idris. In the Men’s Heavyweight category, Idris lifted 208kg on his second attempt to seal the top spot.
By the end of the day, Nigeria had collected three gold medals and three silver medals across the competition.
England’s Matthew Harding finished with silver, while India’s Jhandu Kumar took home bronze.
Elsewhere, veteran lifter Folashade Oluwafemiayo defended her Women’s Heavyweight title on a night that featured world-record performances and a strong wave of Nigerian pride at the SEC Armadillo on Friday.
The two-time Paralympic champion underlined her status from the start by producing a world-leading performance for lifters in the 86kg-plus bracket, before improving on that mark again with her final attempt of the contest.
“If you have passion for something, there’s no other way,” Oluwafemiayo, 41, said. “You go with your whole heart. It’s about the passion, but also the resilience and the discipline.”
Oluwafemiayo set the tone immediately, attacking her own Commonwealth Games benchmark of 165kg on her opening lift and making the attempt look effortless.
She then launched into an ambitious attempt at 172kg—four kilograms higher than the weight she recorded at the 2025 world championships in Egypt last October—and successfully completed it.
With the gold essentially secured, she continued to raise the bar, pushing 175kg and completing her third successful lift of the night, with each of her efforts coming in as a record.
