Nigeria Wins 18 Medals at 2025 African Senior Weightlifting Championship

By Ikemefuna Asika

Nigeria extended her lead atop the medals table of African Senior Weightlifting Championship in Moka, Mauritius after another golden performance from the country’s last competitor in the Championship, Sarah Ovayioza Matthew in the Women’s 76kg cadre.

Her splendid performance rounded off Nigeria’s participation at the Championship with three additional gold medals.

Matthew’s 107kg and 130kg lifts in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk in that order and a total lift of 237kg fetched Nigeria three more gold medals to ensure the country’s weightlifters finished with an astonishing 13 gold, four silver and a bronze medal for a combined 18 medals from six Weightlifters.

Nigeria’s gold rush started with the Women’s 55kg through Onome Omolola Didih who had a total lift of 203kg to claim all the three gold medals at stake at the event while in the women’s 59kg category, multiple African Champion and Commonwealth Games Champion, Rafiatu Folashade Lawal scooped another three gold medals with her total lift of 213kg.

Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele added to the clean slate from the women when she also bagged three gold medals in the women’s 64kg. She lifted a total of 213kg to claim the top prize.

2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, Umoafia Joseph Edidiong in the men’s 73kg, also won a gold and two silver medals with a total lift of 319kg while Tuesday Emmanuel also shone on his African Senior Weightlifting Championship debut claiming two silver medals and a bronze medal in the Men’s 67kg claiming two silver medals and a bronze medal in his category with a total lift of 276kg.

According to Tunde Liadi, the Media Officer of Nigeria Weightlifting Federation of Nigeria, It has been an incredible championship for Nigeria with all the six Weightlifters winning three medals each.