Nigeria’s Sarah Matthew added another chapter to the nation’s success story at the ongoing Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Naranpura, Ahmedabad, on Thursday, securing gold in dominant fashion.
Competing at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Matthew lifted 108kg in the snatch and 128kg in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 236kg.
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Her performance placed her comfortably ahead of Samoa’s Seine Stowers, who finished with 229kg (102kg snatch, 127kg clean and jerk).
Canada’s Rosalie Dumas took bronze with 224kg (101kg snatch, 123kg clean and jerk), while India’s Harmanpreet Kaur ended eighth with 205kg.
With her triumph, Matthew raised Nigeria’s gold tally to three and overall medal haul to seven at the championship.
India’s V. Ajaya Babu also shone brightly, clinching back-to-back gold in the men’s 79kg category.
Despite missing his opening snatch attempt, Ajaya rallied to complete a 152kg lift, edging Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat by two kilograms.
Both athletes later matched each other with 183kg in the clean and jerk, but Ajaya’s superior snatch secured him the gold with a 335kg total.
Hidayat settled for silver (333kg), while Nigeria’s Adedapo Poadeji claimed bronze with 306kg (141kg snatch, 165kg clean and jerk).
Elsewhere, India’s Bedabrat Bharali emerged champion in the men’s 79kg junior division with a combined 326kg, while compatriot Juhitha Guna dominated the women’s 69kg youth category with 168kg.
For Nigeria, Matthew’s gold added to the earlier triumph of Islamiyat Yusuf, who captured the women’s 69kg title.
On Wednesday, Joseph Edidiong Umoafia, African Games champion, narrowly missed gold in the men’s 71kg, lifting 316kg to claim silver, just one kilogram shy of India’s Ajith Narayana.
Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele also contributed bronze in the women’s 63kg with 212kg.
Earlier in the week, Ruth Asuquo opened Nigeria’s medal account with silver on Monday, followed by Omolola Onome, who delivered the country’s first gold on Tuesday.
In total, Team Nigeria has so far secured seven medals,three gold, two silver, and two bronze.
This underlines the nation’s growing stature in Commonwealth weightlifting as all the gold medalists have booked their place in 2026 Commonwealth Weightlifting event.
The championships will come to end on Saturday as Nigeria look forward to add more medals on the final run-in.
