Glasgow — Team Nigeria finished Day 1 of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in second place on the official medal standings after a dominant display in para powerlifting at the SEC Armadillo.
The Nigerian contingent collected six medals — three gold and three silver — all from the lifting platform. Australia lead the table with six gold medals, while host nation Scotland sit third with four medals (two gold, two silver). England occupy fourth with eight medals overall (one gold, four silver, three bronze).
Day 1 medal standings (selected)
Nigeria’s clean sweep of the platform
Nigeria captured three of the four gold medals available in para powerlifting on the opening day of competition.
- Women’s lightweight: Esther Nworgu delivered Nigeria’s first gold of the Games, setting successive Commonwealth Games records with a best lift of 123kg for 119.0 points. Teammate Esther Oyema took silver with 125kg (115.5 points). England’s Olivia Broome claimed bronze.
- Women’s heavyweight: Team captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo retained her title in spectacular fashion, lifting a world-record 175kg to score 134.8 points. Rita Ferdinand completed another Nigerian one-two by taking silver with a class world-record lift of 158kg (128.2 points).
- Men’s heavyweight: Riluwan Idris secured Nigeria’s third gold, scoring 132.8 points ahead of England’s Matthew Harding.
- Men’s lightweight: Veteran Roland Ezuruike opened Nigeria’s medal account earlier in the session with silver behind England’s Mark Swan.
The results underlined Nigeria’s established strength in the discipline and provided an early boost heading into the remainder of the programme. Competition continues on Saturday with further medal opportunities across multiple sports.