Team Nigeria Powers To 6 Medals As Para Lifters Shatter World Records On Opening Day Of Glasgow 2026 Games

Paralympian Roland Ezuruike opened Nigeria’s medal account by securing silver in the men’s lightweight Group A para powerlifting event after scoring 153.9 points. Ezuruike came close to claiming gold but narrowly missed a Commonwealth Games record lift of 190kg with his final attempt.

Nigeria’s first gold medal of the Games came through Esther Nworgu, who delivered a commanding performance to win the women’s lightweight title. Nworgu lifted 123kg to score 119 points, breaking the Commonwealth Games record before surpassing her own mark less than 10 minutes later to seal an emphatic victory.

The event produced a Nigerian one-two finish, with veteran Esther Oyema claiming silver after successfully lifting 125kg on her second attempt to score 115.5 points. England’s Olivia Broome settled for bronze.

Team Nigeria captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo then stole the spotlight with another breathtaking display. The reigning Paralympic and Commonwealth champion broke her own world record twice, lifting 172kg before improving it to an astonishing 175kg on her final attempt. Her remarkable effort earned her 134.8 points and Nigeria’s second gold medal of the Games.

There was more history as Rita Ferdinand set a new world record in the women’s up to 79kg category. Ferdinand lifted 158kg to eclipse the previous world record of 154kg held by China’s Han Miaoyu. Despite her record-breaking feat, she finished with the silver medal after scoring 128.2 points.

Riluwan Idris completed Nigeria’s golden evening by winning the men’s heavyweight title with a massive lift of 208kg. Competing at a body weight of 86kg, Idris amassed 132.8 points to edge England’s Matthew Harding into silver, while Malaysia’s Nicodemus Moses claimed bronze.

Away from the powerlifting arena, Nigeria’s men’s 3×3 basketball team suffered its first defeat of the competition, losing 21-15 to Australia after making history with a 21-17 victory over the Cayman Islands in their opening match. Ikechukwu Nwamu led Nigeria’s scoring with nine points as the team shifted focus to a crucial group-stage encounter against New Zealand.

In boxing, Abdulramon Abdulwahab exited the men’s 65kg competition after a unanimous 5-0 defeat to Uganda’s Nuhu Batte in the Round of 32.

With six medals already secured and multiple world records broken, Team Nigeria has announced itself as one of the early standout nations at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.