IBADAN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – As the curtain draws on the Games today, 8 August, 2022, team Nigeria have made the country proud by winning 35 medals; 12 gold, 9 silver and 14 bronze.
Team Nigeria brought incredible joy to a nation in distress by finishing 7th on the medals table at the 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
It is noteworthy that majority of the medals clinched, including 12 gold for the country, were championed by young women including Miesinnei Mercy Genesis (50 kg), Blessing Oborududu (57 kg) and Odunayo Adekuoroye (57kg) in Women’s Freestyle wrestling; as well as Adijat Adenike Olarinoye (55kg) and Rafiatu Folashade Lawal (59kg) in Women’s weightlifting.
Folashade Oluwafemiayo won gold in Women’s heavyweight Para Powerlifting.
She broke the world record after lifting 130kg, 150kg and 155kg to score a cumulative 123.4 points, to win another gold for Nigeria on Thursday evening.
Eucharia Iyiazi also won gold in Women’s shot put, as well as Chioma Onyekwere and Goodness Nwachukwu in Women’s Discus throw.
Other gold medalists are; Tobi Amusan (100m Women’s Hurdle and 4x100m Relay), Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Grace Nwokocha (4x100m Relay).
Sunday was a spectacular day for Team Nigeria as world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles, Oluwatobiloba Amusan, raced into the Games history as the second sprint hurdler to successfully defend the title she won four years ago in Gold Coast, Australia.
The 12.30secs she clocked in winning the gold is also the Commonwealth Games new 100m hurdles record.
Barely two and half hours after winning the sprint barrier event, Amusan inspired Nigeria women’s 4x100m quartet of herself, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma and Grace Nwokocha to make history at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, becoming the first women’s relay team to win a Commonwealth Games gold for Nigeria in 28 years.
The quartet did it in a record-breaking fashion, running 42.10 secs to break the barely one month old 42.22 seconds African record they set in Oregon, USA at the World Athletics Championships.
As if the Nigerian ladies reserved their best in the track and field till the last day, Ese Brume jumped a 7.00m new Games Record to win the gold medal for the second time. Her first was at the Glasgow Games eight years ago.
The Nigerian athletes finished seventh on the medal standings by breaking World, African, National and Games records, as well as achieving personal bests in their career.