The duo of Ruth Ayodele and Joy Eze won a combined six gold medals for Team Nigeria on Tuesday at the ongoing 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana.
Ayodele, who is competing in the African Games for the first time, claimed three gold medals in the women’s weightlifting 64kg category.
The 23-year-old lifted a total of 208kg, 94kg in the snatch, and 114kg in the clean and jerk. She beat Chaima Rahmouni of Tunisia, who finished second with a total of 203kg after lifting 92kg in snatch and 111kg in clean and jerk.
LIFTING NAIJA???????????????? UP THE MEDALS TABLE…WEIGHTLIFTING HAS DELIVERED ANOTHER SIX GOLD MEDALS!!! ????????
Team Nigeria is scooping all the GOLD medals in the Weightlifting event, recording six ????????????????????????more wins in the women’s 64kg and 71kg respectively.
▪️ Ruth Ayodele won 3… pic.twitter.com/zEnVrbpTUK
— Making of Champions (@MakingOfChamps) March 12, 2024
Eze, participating in her second African Games, moved up a weight class and still dominated to win three gold medals for Nigeria in the 71kg category.
She lifted 207kg total, 90kg in snatch, and 117kg in clean and jerk to fend off Tunisia’s Jawaher Gasmi, who lifted 203kg total, 87kg in snatch, and 116kg in clean and jerk.
Weightlifting has been vital to Nigeria’s rise in the medal standings, as five athletes have won a total of 15 gold medals for the nation in weightlifting events across both the men’s and women’s categories.
15 gold ???? from Weightlifting for Nigeria
Nigerian weightlifters have won a total of 15 gold medals at the ongoing 13th African Games in Ghana.
Edidiong Umoafia (3), Adijat Olarinoye (3), Rofiatu Lawal (3), Ruth Ayodele (3) and Joy Ogbonne (3)#AfricanGames#Accra2023 pic.twitter.com/rj1AnuZyzA
— Dare Kuti ‘Gattuso’ (@dkuti82) March 12, 2024
Nigeria’s medal total is currently 47, with 22 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 15 bronze medals, as they maintain their second position and sit behind Egypt (85 medals).
