Umoafia wins gold at Glasgow 2026, smashes games record
Team Nigeria’s Edidiong Joseph Umoafia won the gold medal in the men’s 71kg weightlifting event at the ongoing Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The all-action powerlifter set a new Commonwealth Games record total of 319kg, though it was a Games record rather than a world record.
The 23-year-old lifted 147kg in the Snatch event and 172kg in the Clean and Jerk making a total lift of 319kg which turned out to be a Commonwealth Games Record.
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Umoafia came tops in the category with John Lautafi Tafi from Samoa lifting 314kg to win silver while Ezekiel Moses from Nauru lifted 310kg to win the bronze medal.
The gold medal won by Umoafia marked Team Nigeria’s fourth gold medal of the Glasgow 2026 Games and also brought Nigeria’s overall medal tally up to eight.
His success extended Nigeria’s impressive showing beyond para powerlifting, handing the country its first gold medal from weightlifting.
