By Samuel Akpan
Day Four of the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games was a triumph for Team Nigeria, led by a record-breaking three-gold sweep in weightlifting and strong performances from their 100m sprinters, who advanced to the semifinals.
Edidiong Joseph Umoafia opened the golden surge in the men’s 71kg category, posting a Commonwealth Games record total of 319kg.
He set a Games record of 147kg in the snatch and followed with 172kg in the clean and jerk, finishing ahead of Samoa’s Joseph Tafi on 314kg and Nauru’s Elgin Moses on 310kg to secure Nigeria’s fourth gold of the Games.
Onome Didih delivered Nigeria’s fifth gold medal with a dominant performance in the women’s 53kg category. Didih shattered Commonwealth Games records across the board, lifting a 93kg snatch, 113kg clean and jerk, and a 206kg total.
India’s Gyaneshwari Yadav captured the silver medal with a 199kg total, while Canada’s Rebeka Groulx rounded out the podium with 178kg for bronze.
The golden streak peaked in the evening as Rafiatu Folashade Lawal stormed to Nigeria’s sixth gold in the women’s 58kg division.
She established new Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth records of 103kg in the snatch, 126kg in the clean and jerk and a 229kg total, finishing a commanding 14kg clear of Canada’s Ann-Sophie Taschereau, who lifted 215kg for silver.
True to the National Sports Commission’s earlier promise, each of the three gold medallists received an instant $5,000 cash reward plus an additional $5,000 performance bonus paid directly into their accounts.
On the athletics track, Nigerian sprinters also made a firm statement by booking multiple places in the men’s and women’s 100m semifinals.
Favour Ashe won the opening men’s heat in 10.10 seconds with a +1.5 wind reading to advance comfortably.
Nicholas Fakorede finished second in Heat 10 with 10.21 seconds (+1.4), chasing Lesotho’s Mojela Koneshe, whose 10.07 set a new national record.
Fakorede joins Ashe and national record holder Kayinsola Ajayi, who received a bye, in Tuesday’s semifinal lineup.
In the women’s 100m, 17-year-old Commonwealth Games debutant Miracle Ezechukwu announced her arrival by winning her heat from lane eight in 11.32 seconds into a –1.5 headwind.
She finished ahead of Barbados’ Kishawna Niles and Ghana’s Deborah Acheampong to qualify automatically.
Ezechukwu will be joined in the women’s semifinals by Blessing Ogundiran and Rosemary Chukwuma, giving Team Nigeria three athletes in the next round.
Sade Olatoye endured a tough outing in the women’s hammer throw, placing 10th in Group A with a best mark of 62.75m on her second attempt after recording two faults.
With these results adding to the medal haul and further events still to come, Team Nigeria remains firmly on course to deliver on its ambition of 16 gold medals at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
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