Team Nigeria won six more gold medals on Day 8 of the ongoing 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana, on Monday, to take their total tally to 16 gold medals and push them into second place on the medal standings.
Following the triumph of Edidiong Umoafia in the men’s weightlifting, the duo of Adijat Olarinoye and Folashade Rafiatu Lawal both cruised to victories in their respective categories.
THREE GOLD MEDALS….Adijat Olarinoye has done it!!!
Team Nigeria’s Adijat Olarinoye has just won 3 GOLD medals in the women’s Weightlifting 55kg category, total dominating her weight class to win all the GOLD medals on offer.
Olarinoye won GOLD lifting
Total – 185kg
Snatch… pic.twitter.com/s5lAJEDSFS— Making of Champions (@MakingOfChamps) March 11, 2024
Olarinoye won three gold medals in the women’s weightlifting 55kg category as she dominated other athletes to come out on top. She lifted 80kg in the snatch, 105kg in the clean and jerk, and a total of 185kg.
The 24-year-old pipped Tunisia’s Eya Aouadi, who finished second with a total of 173kg after lifting 78kg in snatch and 95kg in clean and jerk. Egypt’s Noura Essam Mohamed was in third place with a total of 172kg (79kg in snatch and 93kg in clean and jerk).
Weightlifting gives Nigeria 9 gold medals
Nigeria’s Rafiatu won 3 gold ???? medals in the women’s 59kg class at the ongoing 13th African Games in Ghana.#africangames2023 #accra2023 #ghana #africangames pic.twitter.com/fERDw0gPEe
— Dare Kuti ‘Gattuso’ (@dkuti82) March 11, 2024
Lawal, on the other hand, claimed three gold medals in the women’s weightlifting 59kg event—lifting 190kg total, 85kg in the snatch, and 105kg in the clean and jerk.
She saw off competition from South Africa’s Anneke Spies and Israa Bejaoui of Tunisia, who ended up in second and third place, respectively.
Nigeria’s medal total is currently at 41, with 10 silver medals and 15 bronze medals to go along with the 16 gold medals, as they sit behind Egypt (85 medals).
