Gold medalist and new record holder in the women’s 53kg weightlifting category at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, Onome Omolola Didih has revealed several secret factors that made her achievement possible.
Sports247 reports that the 22-year-old lifter, who got her international debut for Nigeria in 2024, disclosed that she achieved the feat through determination, rxtra training and a change of lifestyle while preparing for the Games.
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The petite heroine, who earlier won three gold medals at this year’s African Weightlifting Championship in Egypt, revealed her success secrets while speaking during ‘Athlete’s Corner’ segment of Sports247’s television programme, Inside Naija Sports, which streams via YouTube and airs every Saturday on NTA News 24 at 12pm.
The fair-skinned lifter, who placed fifth during her maiden outing for Nigeria at the 2024 World Weightlifting Championship in Bahrain, said she was mostly excited about her feat in Glasgow because it was her first appearance at a major international multi-sports competition.
Didih retorted, “I’m still very happy and excited, because this was my first appearance at an international Games. I’ve been to some other international competitions, but they were all championships.
“So, this year’s Commonwealth Games was my first multiple sports competition. It was my first experience of an international Games and I’m very happy that I returned home with a gold medal.”
She then shot her mind back to her build-up, heading into Glasgow 2026, and recalled that it involved making sacrifices, especially in terms of her habits and daily activities, because she had dreamt about doing well at that level ever since she became active in the sport.
Didih recounted, “I’ve always wanted to be at the Commonwealth Games and to be on the podium. I was so serious about winning something there, and I really worked hard for it.
“I changed my training approach and adjusted everything about my lifestyle in my preparation. I just wanted to do well at the Commonwealth Games, and I’m happy that God made it possible.
“Although I was determined to win a medal, there wasn’t much going through my mind at I stepped out to lift the weight. I was not thinking of setting any record.
“I just stepped forward to do what I was used to doing normally. I have done it at previous competitions. This was not my first competition, and I just focused on doing it the way I normally did it.
“The only thing I watched carefully this time was my body weight. There was nothing like fear or anxiety in me before going for the weight that gave me the gold medal.”
