Team Nigeria climb to 9th on C’wealth Games medals table
Nigeria won a flurry of gold medals yesterday to shoot into the top 10 on the medals table of the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. The team even broke a world record in a stunning performance by Oyema Esther.
The star athletes who achieved this golden moment for Team Nigeria are from Para-Powerlifting, who have etched their names in gold.
Roland Ezuruike sparked the golden moment in the men’s Lightweight where he dumped his compatriot, Paul Kehinde who was before now holding the record to the silver with a total lift of 224.3kg. It was a glorious moment for Nigerians who had 1, 2 finish as Kehinde Paul settled for silver while England’s Jawad Ali took the bronze.
Nigeria’s national anthem was played repeatedly as the green, white, green fluttered in the sky.
Thereafter, the women ran riot producing scintillating performances to give Team Nigeria two gold medals and silver in another 1, 2 finish in the women’s Lightweight.
Oyema Esther snatched the gold after a horse-race with Ejike Lucy. Esther won gold as Lucy settled for silver, while England was yet again condemned to bronze by the Nigerians.
The Press Attaché to Team Nigeria, Mr. Tony Ubani said Nigerian dignitaries led by Sports Minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung, NOC President Engr Habu Gumel who was wearing two caps as an Executive member of the IOC and Scribe Hon Tunde Popoola as well as Permanent Secretary Ministry of Youth and Sports, Olusade Adesola cheerfully watched the Nigerian history makers.
And when the heavyweight men stepped out, Ibraheem Abdulazeez powered into yet another lift that added gold to the treasury of Team Nigeria. He left Malaysia and India to settle for silver and bronze respectively. With this sparkling performances, Team Nigeria has shot into 9th position of the medals table with 4 gold, 4 silver to join South Africa who are 5th on the table with 9 gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze medals as the top two African countries on the top 10 medals table.
Nigeria had won two previous from table tennis and shot putt. silver