Gold Rush in Mauritius! Nigeria Dominates African Weightlifting Championship with Medal Haul
Team Nigeria is stealing the spotlight at the ongoing African Senior Weightlifting Championship in Moka, Mauritius, racking up an astonishing 15 medals from just five lifters—a true gold rush on the continent’s biggest weightlifting stage.
From early morning lifts to evening showdowns, the Nigerian contingent has been unstoppable, grabbing 10 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze medal, sending a strong message to the rest of Africa.
Onome Omolola Didih kickstarted the winning streak in the women’s 55kg category, lifting a total of 203kg (92kg in snatch and 111kg in clean & jerk) to sweep all three gold medals on offer.
In the women’s 59kg class, it was business as usual for Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, a multiple African Champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist. She lifted 95kg in snatch and 118kg in clean & jerk, totaling 213kg—another triple-gold performance.
Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele followed suit in the women’s 64kg, bagging three more golds with lifts of 93kg (snatch) and 120kg (clean & jerk), tying Lawal’s total of 213kg.
On the men’s side, Umoafia Joseph Edidiong brought home one gold and two silvers in the fiercely contested 73kg category, lifting a total of 319kg (147kg in snatch, 172kg in clean & jerk). Although pleased with his performance, he noted, “I know I could’ve done better. That’s my goal for next time.”
Tuesday Emmanuel rounded out the squad’s brilliance in the men’s 67kg, claiming two silver medals and a bronze with a combined lift of 276kg.
As Nigeria gears up to close its campaign with Sarah Ovayioza Matthew competing in the women’s 76kg category, expectations are high for even more medals.
With this explosive showing, Nigeria currently leads the overall medals table, and every athlete on the team has already returned home with at least three medals.
This historic run has earned praise for the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, led by Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, and the National Sports Commission, credited with making the team’s participation a reality.
“We’re going home proud,” Edidiong said. “But we’re not done—we’ll come back stronger.”
