African Games 2023: Nigeria Weightlifters Finish Second Best

Team Nigeria finished second overall in the Weightlifting event of the ongoing 2023 African Games in Ghana, with 16 gold, 10 Silver and 6 Bronze medals.

Medal table toppers Egypt Finished top with 24 gold, 4 Silver and 4 Bronze medals after the conclusion of the event on Thursday.

Nigeria’s Lucky Joseph in the Men’s +109kg grabbed three silver medals to end the event on a high note for Team Nigeria Weightlifters. Joseph lifted 152kg in the snatch and followed that up with 190kg in the clean and jerk and 342kg in the total lift to increase the country’s medals haul to 32 in the event.

He finished second behind Egyptian’s Abdulrahman Mohamed Abdelrahman who bagged the three gold medals in the category.

Also Read: African Games 2023: Nigeria Clinches Bronze in Beach Volleyball

Team Nigeria Weightlifters will return to Nigeria proud as almost all the 12 Weightlifters winning medals in their various categories.

Meanwhile, the  women’s Weightlifters even topped the medals table in their category with 13 gold and two silver medals as against 11 gold, three silver and four bronze medals got by the Egyptian women who finished second.

Umuoafia Edidiong (Men’s 73kg), Joy Ogbonne Eze (Women’s 71kg), Rafiatu Lawal (Women’s 59kg) and Adijat Olarinoye (Women’s 59kg) are still in the running for Olympic Games tickets.

Nigeria’s Weightlifting Medalists at the 2023 African Games

Adijat Olarinoye (Women’s 55kg) 3 Gold medals

Rafiatu Lawal (Women’s 59kg) 3 Gold medals

Ruth Ayodele (Women’s 64kg) 3 Gold medals

Joy Eze (Women’s 71kg) 3 Gold medals

Edidiong Umoafia (Men’s 67kg) 3 Gold medals

Mary Osijo (Women’s 87kg) 1 Gold, 2 Silver medals

Lucky Joseph (Men’s +109kg) 3 Silver medals

Favour Agboro (Men’s 61kg) 2 Silver, 1 Bronze medals

Desmond Akano (Men’s 96kg) 2 Silver, 1 Bronze medals

Abayomi Adeyemi (Men’s 102kg) 1 Silver , 2 Bronze medals

King Kalu (Men’s 55kg) 2 Bronze medals