Team Nigeria began its Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games campaign in spectacular fashion on Friday, finishing the opening day with three gold medals, three silver medals and a series of world-record performances that underlined the country’s dominance in para powerlifting. The impressive haul immediately positioned Nigeria among the standout nations at the Games.
Paralympian Roland Ezuruike opened Nigeria’s medal account with silver in the Men’s Lightweight Group A event after scoring 153.9 points. Ezuruike came agonisingly close to gold but narrowly missed a Commonwealth Games record 190kg lift on his final attempt. His effort earned him an instant $2,000 reward and an additional $3,000 bonus under the National Sports Commission’s athlete incentive programme.
Nigeria claimed its first gold medal through Esther Nworgu, who won the women’s lightweight title with a remarkable 123kg lift worth 119 points. Nworgu broke the Commonwealth Games record and returned minutes later to surpass her own mark, delighting the Glasgow crowd. Fellow Nigerian and veteran lifter Esther Oyema completed a one-two finish for the country, taking silver with 115.5 points, while England’s Olivia Broome settled for bronze.
Team captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo once again demonstrated her class by rewriting the women’s para powerlifting world record twice in the same competition. She first lifted 172kg to break her previous mark before raising the bar further with an astonishing 175kg on her final attempt. Her 134.8 points secured Nigeria’s second gold medal of the day and reinforced her status as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Rita Ferdinand also etched her name into the record books in the women’s up-to-79kg category, lifting 158kg to eclipse the previous world record of 154kg held by China’s Han Miaoyu. Despite the historic feat, Ferdinand finished with silver after posting 128.2 points.
Nigeria’s third gold came through Riluwan Idris in the men’s heavyweight division, where his massive 208kg lift earned 132.8 points and edged England’s Matthew Harding into silver.
Beyond the powerlifting arena, Nigeria’s men’s 3×3 basketball team followed up their historic opening victory over the Cayman Islands with a 21-15 defeat to Australia, with Ikechukwu Nwamu leading the scoring with nine points as they prepare for a crucial clash against New Zealand.
In boxing, Abdulramon Abdulwahab exited the men’s 65kg event after a unanimous points loss to Uganda’s Nuhu Batte in the Round of 32.
