Team Nigeria has risen to second place on the African Games medal table following a fantastic performance by their weightlifters on Monday.
The team won nine gold medals, all from weightlifting events.
On Day 3 at the University of Ghana, Legon, Nigerian lifters dominated the competition, sweeping the board.
Adijat Olarinoye (55kg), Rafiatu Lawal (59kg), and Edidiong Umoafia (67kg) each won a remarkable triple gold in their respective weight categories.
It is vital to know that weightlifting gives three gold medals in each category: snatch, clean and jerk, and total.
Olarinoye, Lawal, and Umoafia excelled in all three disciplines, demonstrating tremendous strength and skill.
Olarinoye, the 2022 Commonwealth Games winner, began by lifting 80kg in the snatch, then 105kg in the clean and jerk, and finished with a total of 185kg.
Lawal, another 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, replicated Olarinoye’s performance in the 59kg class, snatching 85kg, cleaning and jerking 105kg, and totaling 190kg.
Umoafia made his weightlifting debut in the 67kg category, demonstrating his skill on the African and international stages. He began with a 135kg snatch, followed by a 165kg clean and jerk, for a dominant total of 300kg.
