Edidiong Joseph Umoafia delivered a record-breaking performance to win gold in the men’s 71kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, increasing Team Nigeria’s medal tally to eight.
The 23-year-old produced a commanding display to finish with a Games Record total of 319kg, ahead of Samoa’s John Lautafi Tafi, who claimed silver with a total of 314kg, while Nauru’s Ezekiel Moses settled for bronze after lifting a total of 310kg.
England’s Jonathan Chin finished fourth with a total of 299kg, Northern Ireland’s Harrison McGrogan placed fifth with 288kg, Canada’s Matt Darsigny ended sixth with 285kg, Ghana’s Emmanuel Boateng was seventh with 282kg, while Singapore’s Kester Loy finished eighth after lifting 265kg. Sri Lanka’s Indika Dissanayake Mudiyanselage and Scotland’s Corey Duncan did not finish the competition.
Umoafia laid the foundation for victory with a 147kg lift in the snatch before sealing the title in the clean and jerk. He successfully lifted 168kg on his opening attempt and followed it up with 172kg on his second lift to confirm both the gold medal and a new Commonwealth Games record.
More Read
The triumph represents a significant milestone in Umoafia’s career after he won bronze in the men’s 67kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. His latest success also gives Nigeria its fourth gold medal of the Games.
Team Nigeria have now amassed eight medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, comprising four gold medals and four silver medals, with Umoafia’s record-breaking performance further strengthening the country’s impressive campaign in Glasgow.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
