Nigeria’s golden run began with Esther Nworgu, who delivered the country’s first gold medal of the Games in the women’s lightweight event.
Team Nigeria enjoyed an outstanding opening day at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, winning six medals to climb to second place on the medals table behind Australia.
At the close of Day One, Nigeria had amassed three gold and three silver medals, all coming from para powerlifting, once again highlighting the country’s dominance in the sport.
Australia led the standings with six gold, two silver and five bronze medals, while hosts Scotland were third with two gold and two silver medals.
Nigeria’s golden run began with Esther Nworgu, who delivered the country’s first gold medal of the Games in the women’s lightweight event. Nworgu lifted 123kg to score 119 points, setting two Commonwealth Games records in the process. Fellow Nigerian Esther Oyema completed a one-two finish by claiming silver with 125kg and 115.5 points, ahead of England’s Olivia Broome.
The second gold came courtesy of Team Nigeria captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo, who produced another dominant display in the women’s heavyweight category. The multiple-time world champion lifted 175kg to set a new world record and finished with 134.8 points to successfully defend her Commonwealth title.
Nigeria also secured the silver medal in the event through Rita Ferdinand, who set a new world record lift of 158kg and amassed 128.2 points, ensuring another Nigerian one-two finish on the podium.
The country’s third gold medal was won by Riluwan Idris, who claimed victory in the men’s heavyweight category ahead of England’s Matthew Harding to complete a memorable outing for Team Nigeria.
Earlier in the day, veteran Roland Ezuruike had opened Nigeria’s medal account with a silver medal in the men’s lightweight event. The 50-year-old narrowly missed gold after failing in his final attempt at a Commonwealth Games record lift but extended his remarkable medal-winning career that has spanned almost two decades.
Nigeria’s para powerlifters won three of the four gold medals on offer on the opening day, underlining the country’s status as one of the world’s leading nations in the sport.
Away from the medals, Nigeria’s men’s 3×3 basketball team defeated the Cayman Islands 21-17 in their opening group match but they lost to Australia in the second game
Boxer Ayomide Foly Hassan exited the men’s 70kg event after a Round of 32 defeat to Lesotho’s Refiloe Thai.
Team Nigeria arrived in Glasgow aiming for one of its best-ever Commonwealth Games campaigns after completing a high-performance training camp in Aberdeen and benefiting from improved athlete welfare initiatives introduced by the National Sports Commission.
With six medals already secured on the opening day, Nigeria has made a strong statement of intent as it targets another successful Commonwealth Games campaign.
