Team Nigeria announced themselves as one of the teams to beat on the opening day of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, producing a string of outstanding performances that yielded five medals, a world record, two Games records and a historic victory in 3×3 basketball.
Nigeria finished Day One second on the medals table with two gold and three silver medals, behind Australia, who won four gold, two silver and four bronze medals. Hosts Scotland occupied third place with two gold and two silver medals.
Naija News gathered that every one of Nigeria’s medals came in para powerlifting. Captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo delivered the standout performance of the day in the women’s heavyweight event at the SEC Armadillo, spectacularly retaining her Commonwealth title.
The multiple Paralympic champion lifted 134.8kg to set a new world record, while compatriot Rita Ferdinand claimed silver with 128.2kg, a lift that also surpassed the previous world record. Australia’s Hani Watson settled for bronze with 111.5kg, ahead of England’s Louise Sugden and Doaa Shayea, while India’s Kasthuri Rajamani failed to register a successful lift.
Earlier, 24-year-old Esther Nworgu had handed Nigeria its first gold medal of the Games in the women’s lightweight category. The Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medallist rewrote the Games record twice within 10 minutes before sealing victory with a winning lift of 123kg for 119 points. Nworgu first established a new Games mark with 118kg before bettering it with her second successful lift.
Fellow Nigerian Esther Oyema completed another one-two finish for Team Nigeria, taking silver with 115.5 points after successfully lifting 125kg on her second attempt. England’s Olivia Broome claimed bronze with 106.6 points.
Veteran Roland Ezuruike had earlier won Nigeria’s first medal of the Games, claiming silver in the men’s lightweight event with 153.9 points. The 50-year-old came within touching distance of gold but failed with a Games record attempt of 190kg on his final lift. England’s Mark Swan claimed the title on a tiebreak despite both lifters finishing on identical points, while Malaysia’s Bonnie Bunyau Gustin took bronze.
Away from para powerlifting, Nigeria celebrated another milestone after recording their first-ever Commonwealth Games victory in 3×3 basketball. Naija News reports that the team defeated the Cayman Islands 21-17 in their Pool A opener, reaching the winning score with one minute and 36 seconds remaining after combining accurate shooting with disciplined defending.
National Sports Commission (NSC) Director-General, Bukola Olopade, joined the players and officials in celebrating the landmark victory before urging them to remain focused.
“This is the kind of start we were hoping for. Congratulations to the team for their fighting spirit and determination. Enjoy this victory, but stay focused because the journey has only just begun. Nigeria believes in you, and we are confident you can achieve even greater success at these Games,” Olopade said.
The opening day also brought disappointment in other events. Swimmer Clinton Opute finished sixth in his heat of the men’s 200m individual medley in 2:15.40, missing out on a place in the next round despite marking the start of Nigeria’s individual events campaign.
In boxing, Ayomide Foly Hassan bowed out of the men’s 70kg competition after a spirited display ended in a 4-0 points defeat to Lesotho’s Refiloe Thai in the Round of 32. Thai progressed to the last 16, while Hassan’s campaign came to an early end.
Nigeria’s medal winners also received immediate financial rewards under the NSC’s enhanced athlete welfare policy, with gold medallists earning $8,000 and silver medallists receiving $5,000.
Team Nigeria, which 74 athletes across 10 sports represent, will resume competition later today, July 25, with the men’s 3×3 basketball team facing Australia. In contrast, more Nigerian athletes compete in boxing and swimming as the NSC pursues its target of winning between 16 and 20 gold medals in Glasgow.
