Team Nigeria has announced itself early at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, powering straight into fourth place on the medal table after a weekend and Monday that belonged entirely to strength.
As of Monday night, 27th July 2026, Nigeria has won 10 medals six gold and four silver. Every single one has come from weightlifting and para-powerlifting, and the results have pushed the country into the top four nations in Glasgow.
The breakthrough started on Day 1, and it started big. Nigeria’s para-powerlifting team opened the Games with a statement, collecting three gold and three silver medals in one day.
Captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo set the tone in the Women’s Heavyweight. She won gold and broke her own world record twice. Esther Nworgu followed with Nigeria’s first gold of the Games in the Women’s Lightweight, also breaking the Commonwealth Games record twice with a 123kg lift. Riluwan Idris then added a third gold for the day in the Men’s Heavyweight with a huge 208kg lift.
The silvers were just as impressive. Rita Ferdinand finished second to Oluwafemiayo in the Women’s Heavyweight, while Esther Oyema made it a Nigerian one-two in the Women’s Lightweight behind Nworgu with a best lift of 125kg. Roland Ezuruike won silver in the Men’s Lightweight on Friday, and that was Nigeria’s very first medal in Glasgow.
That early haul gave Nigeria real momentum, and the weightlifters carried it forward.
Monday, Day 4, was when the bar was raised again. Nigeria swept three gold medals in weightlifting. Edidiong Joseph Umoafia led the way in the Men’s 71kg. He totaled 319kg to break the Commonwealth Games record, opening with 147kg in the snatch and finishing with 172kg in the clean and jerk.
Rafiatu Folashade Lawal was equally dominant in the Women’s 59kg. She lifted 103kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk for a 229kg total. The performance set new Commonwealth and Games records and left her 14kg ahead of her closest competitor from Canada.
Onome Omolola Didih closed out the perfect day for Nigeria with gold in the Women’s 53kg. She broke three separate Games records on her way to the top of the podium. The success built on Sunday’s result, when Ruth Asuquo Nyong won silver in the Women’s 48kg to give Nigeria its first weightlifting medal of the Games.
It has not only been about lifting. Nigeria is also making history in other sports. The men’s 3x3 basketball team recorded the country’s first ever Commonwealth Games win in the event, beating the Cayman Islands 21-17.
On the track on Monday evening, Favour Ashe won Heat One of the men’s 100m. In the women’s sprints, African U-20 champion Miracle Ezechukwu won her heat on debut. She will now go into the semi-finals alongside Blessing Ogundiran and Rosemary Chukwuma.
With athletics and boxing now entering important stages, and with the National Sports Commission promising rewards for gold medalists, the mood in the Nigerian camp is confident.
Team Nigeria Medal Summary, As of 27 July 2026
Folashade Oluwafemiayo - Women’s Heavyweight Para-powerlifting (Gold).
Esther Nworgu - Women’s Lightweight Para-powerlifting (Gold).
Riluwan Idris - Men’s Heavyweight Para-powerlifting (Gold).
Edidiong Joseph Umoafia - Men’s 71kg Weightlifting (Gold).
Rafiatu Folashade Lawal - Women’s 59kg Weightlifting (Gold).
Onome Omolola Didih - Women’s 53kg Weightlifting (Gold).
Rita Ferdinand - Women’s Heavyweight Para-powerlifting (Silver).
Esther Oyema - Women’s Lightweight Para-powerlifting (Silver).
Roland Ezuruike - Men’s Para-powerlifting (Silver).
Ruth Asuquo Nyong - Women’s 48kg Weightlifting (Silver).
From the first lift to the last on Monday, Nigeria’s message in Glasgow has been clear. The team came prepared, and it is not done yet.