By Amaechi Agbo

Less than four weeks they dominated Africa and returned to Nigeria with multiple gold medals from the 2025 Africa Senior Weightlifting Championship (ASWC) in Moka, Mauritius, the trio of Nigeria lifters, Umoafia Joseph Edidiong, Sarah Matthew and Ruth Ayodele sowed class in their various categories as they maintained effective records at the weightlifting event at the ongoing 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State.

Fresh from the ASWC which ended April 20, the lifters demonstrated why they are unbeatable in Africa and can be reckoned with globally by clinching gold medals for their respective states at the Gateway Games

Representing Akwa Ibom State, Edidiong on Tuesday won three gold medals in the 73kg men category. He had 140kg lift in snatch, 160kg in clean & jerk and 300kg in total to win all the three gold medals in the class.

The win thus established Edidiong as the undisputed champion of the 73kg category for the past four editions of weightlifting event in the NSF dating back to FCT 2018 edition.

Gabriel Idagu of Cross River State won silver in snatch with 119kg while Friday Johanna ensured that Plateau State had two silvers and a bronze medals in her bag with 117kg lift in snatch which fetched him bronze, 141kg in clean & jerk and 258kg in total to win two silvers medals. Jubril Abubakar of Delta State won two bronze in clean and jerk and total. 

Oh her part, competing in the 76kg women class, Sarah Matthew showed dominance as she also won all the available three gold medals on stage. She lifted 105kg in snatch, 130kg in clean & jerk and 235kg in total to ensure that Rivers State went home with all the gold medals in the class.

Sarah Matthew who is the reigning Arm-wresting Africa Champion, had 105kg in snatch, 130kg in clean & jerk and 235kg in total to pack all the three gold medals at stake for the oil-rich Rivers State.

She left Caroline Okouokha of Edo State and Rosemary Ekah of Oyo state to settle for three silver and three bronze medals in the snatch, clean & jerk and total, respectively.

Another ASWC gold medallist, Ruth Ayodele also won all the available three medals in her 64kg women category for Bayelsa State while Rafiatu Folashade Lawal  who also won three gold medals at the ASWC also made it three gold medals for her State, Oyo.

In other results of Weightlifting events on Tuesday, Taiwo Osuo won three gold medals for Oyo State in 87kg women category while Sharon Moses and Chiamaka Odabuchi of Edo and Delta States won three silver and three bronze medals, in that order.

 In the 71kg women category, 2022 Commonwealth bronze winne[u1] r, Islamyat Yusuf claimed all the three gold medals for her Sate, Osun. She had 102kg in snatch, 131kg in clean & jerk and a total of 233kg to ;eave her competitors scrambling fir silver and bronze.

Ogungbure Blessing of Lagos and Joy Benedict both settled for three silver and three bronze in the category.

The weightlifting event at the ongoing 22^nd edition of the National Sports Festival will be rounded off on Wednesday with more activities while medals presentation will follow in the evening.