Nigeria’s 23-year-old weightlifting sensation, Ekanem Umoafia, has delivered another gold medal moment at the Commonwealth Games.
Competing at the SEC Armadillo, the Akwa Ibom-born lifter dominated the men’s 69kg category, recording 147kg in the snatch and 172kg in the clean and jerk for a combined lift of 319kg.
That performance saw him finish ahead of Samoa’s John Lautafi Tafi, who settled for silver with 314kg, while Nauru’s Ezekiel Moses claimed bronze.
The victory marks a major step forward for Umoafia, who previously won bronze at the 2022 Birmingham Games and has now added Commonwealth gold to his list of achievements as a multiple African champion.
His triumph also moved Nigeria’s medal tally to four gold medals, placing the country fourth on the table behind leaders Australia.
With fans celebrating his incredible display of strength, attention now turns to more medal opportunities for Team Nigeria in athletics, boxing, and wrestling as the Games continue until August 2.
Umoafia has certainly set the pace, and Nigeria will be hoping more athletes can follow his golden example.
