Team Nigeria delivered one of the most dominant opening day showings of any nation at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, with team captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo lighting up the SEC Armadillo with a world record breaking gold in the women’s heavyweight para powerlifting event.

The 41 year old, already one of the most decorated athletes in Nigerian sporting history, retained her title in emphatic fashion, opening with a lift of 165kg to set a new Games record before improving to 172kg to surpass her own previous world mark. With the gold already secure, she returned for a final attempt and produced a staggering lift of 175kg, breaking her own world record for the second time within the same competition and finishing with a total of 134.8 points.

She was immediately followed onto the podium by compatriot Rita Ferdinand, the reigning world champion, who lifted 158kg to claim silver with a mark that also bettered the existing world record, completing a Nigerian clean sweep of the top two positions in the category.

Australia’s Hani Watson settled for bronze with a lift of 111.5kg, ahead of England’s Louise Sugden and Doaa Shayea, while India’s Kasthuri Rajamani failed to register a successful lift throughout the competition.

The heavyweight triumph marked Nigeria’s second one two finish of the day in para powerlifting, coming just hours after Esther Nworgu and Esther Oyema had claimed gold and silver respectively in the women’s lightweight category.

Combined with a silver medal from Roland Ezuruike in the men’s lightweight division, the results underlined the discipline’s continued standing as one of the country’s most reliable sources of Commonwealth glory.

By the close of the opening day, Nigeria had collected two gold and three silver medals, placing the country second on the overall medals table behind Australia, who topped the standings with four gold, two silver and four bronze.

The Super Eagles’ Commonwealth contingent finished the day above hosts Scotland, who managed two gold and two silver medals of their own.

Officials of the National Sports Commission hailed the performance as another demonstration of Nigeria’s enduring pedigree in para powerlifting, a sport that has consistently produced world champions and Paralympic medallists for the country.

With the Games still in their early stages, Team Nigeria will be hoping the electric start from its para powerlifters sets the tone as the country pursues the National Sports Commission’s target of between sixteen and twenty gold medals in Glasgow.

Photo Credit: Complete sports