The good old days of Nigeria’s prowess in weightlifting seem to be coming back with the performance at the 2025 Commonweight Weightlifting Championship in Ahmedabad, India.
The trio of Islamiyat Yusuf (women’s 69kg), Sarah Matthew (women’s junior and senior 77kg), and Adedapo Adeleke Opadeji (men’s 79kg) combined to deliver three gold medals and a bronze to Team Nigeria at the championship.
Yusuf produced a flawless display in the women’s 69kg division., with a snatch of (105kg) and clean & jerk (131kg) were executed with precision and authority, giving her a commanding total of 236kg to clinch the gold medal in style.
In the fiercely contested 77kg class, Sarah Matthew demonstrated her growing reputation with a technically superb performance, and powered her way to two gold medals for Nigeria — triumphing in both the junior and senior categories. Her lifts of 108kg in the snatch and 128kg in the clean & jerk gave her a combined total of 236kg.
The men’s 79kg category also produced a podium finish for Nigeria, as Adedapo Adeleke Opadeji battled through stiff competition to claim bronze, finishing behind Ajaya Babu of India (gold) and Malaysia’s Muhammad Erry Hidayat (silver).
Their collective brilliance added to Nigeria’s earlier medal wins through Joseph Edidiong Umoafia, the reigning African Games champion, who lifted a total of 316kg (146kg snatch + 170kg clean & jerk) to winthe silver in the men’s 71kg, narrowly missing gold by a single kilogramme to India’s Ajith Narayana.
Meanwhile, Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele held firm to secure bronze in the women’s 63kg with a 212kg total (95kg + 117kg).
This haul of three golds, one silver, and two bronzes on Wednesday and Thursday builds on the opening-day exploits of Ruth Asuquo Nyong, who won silver, and Omolola Onome, who claimed gold on Tuesday.
So far, Team Nigeria has amassed four gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at the 30th Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships — with more lifters still to compete, raising hopes for further podium finishes.
