Yusuf Islamiyat Adebukola
Commonwealth Games: Team Nigeria lift fourth medal
Team Nigeria added a fourth medal to its haul, Monday, when 19 year-old Islamiyat Adebukola Yusuf, secured a bronze medal in the Women’s weightlifting event at the National Exhibition Centre of the ongoing 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
Yusuf lifted a combined total of 212kg from the Clean and Jerk and Snatch to finish third behind Maude Charron (Canada) and Cochrane Sarah (Australia) who finished in first and second positions respectively.
While Charron who set a new Games Record had a combined lift of 231kg, the 216kg combined lift earned by Cochrane was good enough for the Silver medal.
Monday’s bronze medal is the fourth medal for Nigeria in the weightlifting event where the country had already won two gold medals and a bronze.
Team Nigeria currently have four medal, consisting of two gold and two bronze medals, all from the weightlifting events.
It would be recalled that earlier Sunday, female lifter, 23-year-old Adijat Olarinoye had won the country’s first gold medal, while another athlete, Edidiong Umoafia bagged bronze in the same weightlifting event.
Olarinoye lifted a total of 203kg from snatch and clean and jerk, to win the gold medal ahead of her Indian counterpart, Bindayareni who lifted 202kg to win the Silver medal in the 55kg category
England’s Fraer Morrow came third, lifting a total of 198kg to win the bronze medal.
The Nigerian lifted a new Games record of 92kg in the snatch and another 111kg in the clean and jerk to lift a total of 203kg to win the gold medal.
Also, Edidiong Umoafia on Sunday morning clinched the bronze medal in the men’s 67kg weightlifting event to bag Nigeria’s second medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Umoafia lifted a combined 290kg to get on the podium.
The competition has yet to commence in Team Nigeria’s area of strength like wrestling, track & field and Para weightlifting.
The XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, is an international multi-sports event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The Games which began on July 28 and is expected to climax on August 8, this year.
