Ogun 2024 NSF:  Rivers, Lagos Win Weightlifting Gold Medals

African Champion, Omolola Onome Didih of Lagos State and Rivers State’s Ruth Nyong gave standout performances on the Day 2 of the Weightlifting events of the ongoing National Sports Festival tagged the Gateway Games yesterday.

The two lifters won four gold medals and two silvers for their states in the women’s 49kg and 55kg categories respectively.

In the Women’s 49kg class, Ruth Nyong (Rivers State) won two gold and one silver medal. 

She lifted 75kg to claim gold in the snatch and she got the second gold in her total lift of 167kg. Nyong originally from Akwa Ibom handed Rivers State additional silver medal with her 92kg lift in the Clean & Jerk. 

In the same weight class, Ebele Chukwu Vanessa Agbah of Delta State bagged a gold in the Clean & Jerk with her 93kg lift and a Silver medal with her lift of 164kg.

In the snatch, Quadri Zainab of Lagos grabbed a silver with her lift of 72kg while Adamma Dorcas Anyimba of Kano got a bronze with her lift of 71kg.

The same Anyimba also got a bronze medal with her total lift of 157kg. Monica Uweh of Ogun State finished with a bronze medal in the Clean & Jerk with her 88kg lift. 

In the Women’s 55kg, African Games Gold medallist, Omolola Onome Didih of Lagos won two gold medals in the snatch and total with her lifts of 93kg and 205kg in that order. She was however beaten in the Clean & Jerk by determined Theresa Daniel Okon of Akwa Ibom State who lifted 113kg to win the gold medal. Didih finished a kilogram behind for a silver and her third medal. 

Temidayo Jegede of Kano claimed two silver and a bronze medal to add to the pyramids’ state’s medals’ haul. She lifted 77kg in the snatch and 175kg total lift for her two silver medals before her bronze in the Clean & Jerk with a lift of 98kg. Joy Chima from Lagos got the remaining two bronze medals with her lifts of 71kg and 168kg in the snatch and total. 

Meanwhile, 2023 African Games Gold medallist, King Kalu of Cross River State and  Esther Amarachi Chijoke of Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) bagged five gold medals combined for their states in the men’s 55kg.

There were other winners in the various categories. Competition continues in the sport today.