With gold medals around her neck and fire in her eyes, Sarah Ovayioza Matthew is proving to be one of Nigeria’s brightest sporting sensations.
A powerful force in both arm wrestling and weightlifting, Sarah has become a dual-sport phenom—rewriting records and inspiring a generation.
Read Also: 10 Year Old Gbemisola Leah-Pedro Shines at Ontario Fencing Circuit in Canada
She first stunned Africa by conquering the 70kg arm wrestling category at the 2023 African Games in Ghana, taking home double gold in both the left and right arm events. But that was only the beginning.
Shortly after, Sarah shifted her focus to the weightlifting platform, and it didn’t take long for her to rise. In December 2024, at the World Weightlifting Championships in Manama, Bahrain, she claimed two bronze medals with lifts of 110kg in snatch and 135kg in clean and jerk—setting new national records for Nigeria and signaling her arrival on the world stage.
Her most recent triumph came at the African Senior Weightlifting Championship in Mauritius, where she won three more gold medals in the women’s 76kg category, lifting a total of 237kg. That final push helped Nigeria close out the championship with a stunning 18-medal haul.
In an interview with Sports247, she said beyond medals and records, her ambition now points to the grandest arena of all: the Olympic Games.
“The Olympics is my dream. But first, I have to qualify—and that’s my full focus now,” she said. “I train with everything in me. I stay disciplined. I visualize that podium every single day.”
Recognizing her rare talent and drive, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan hosted Sarah in Abuja, offering both congratulations and ₦2 million in support to fuel her training and Olympic preparations.
From the mats of arm wrestling to the global spotlight of weightlifting, Sarah Ovayioza Matthew continues to rise—lifting not just weight, but the hopes of a nation.
