C’Wealth Games: Powerlifter Idris bags Nigeria’s third gold medal
Team Nigeria earned its third gold medal at the ongoing 2026 Commonwealth Games when powerlifter, Riluwan Idris bear all comers to claim the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting title.
Idris who was competing at a body weight of just 86kg, wowed fans with a massive 208kg lift in Glasgow on Friday scoring 132.8 points to win gold, edging out England’s Matthew Harding, who lifted 199kg to score 131.0 points and take silver.
Malaysia’s Nicodemus Moses completed the podium with 120.3 points to win bronze, with Idris becoming the only athlete in the heavyweight class to successfully bench over 200kg.
With gold already secured, Idris boldly attempted a 212kg lift to shatter the Commonwealth Games record but narrowly missed the mark.
Read Also: Nworgu wins Nigeria’s first gold medal at 2026 Commonwealth Games
Idris’ spectacular triumph closed out a flawless opening day for the nation’s weightlifting contingent.
Team Nigeria ended the first day of the Glasgow 2026 Games with a total of six medals (three gold, three silver)—all produced by the exceptional para-powerlifting squad.
Alongside Idris, female powerlifters Esther Nworgu and team captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo claimed the other two gold medals while breaking world and games records in their respective categories.
