Nyong fights back to claim weightlifting silver
July 27, 2026 9:59 am
Ruth Nyong
Nigerian weightlifter Ruth Nyong produced a remarkable comeback to win silver in the women’s 48kg event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Sunday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
After finishing third in the snatch with a personal best lift of 75kg, Nyong missed her first two clean and jerk attempts at 93kg, leaving her on the brink of elimination.
With everything on the line, the Nigerian held her nerve and successfully completed the lift on her final attempt to secure the silver medal.
Nyong finished with a total of 168kg, behind only India’s Mirabai Chanu, while Malaysia’s Irene Henry claimed the bronze medal.
The Nigerian opened her campaign confidently by lifting 71kg on her first snatch attempt before setting a new personal best of 75kg with her second lift.
However, after failing her first two clean and jerk attempts at 93kg, she faced the prospect of crashing out before bouncing back with a successful third and final attempt to seal a place on the podium.
Meanwhile, Chanu claimed India’s first gold medal of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games by retaining the women’s 48kg title.
The victory was Chanu’s third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal, having also won the event in Birmingham in 2022 and on the Gold Coast in 2018. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist had previously claimed silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
For Nigeria, it has been an impressive campaign in the weightlifting and para-powerlifting events, with the country’s athletes winning three gold and four silver medals so far.
Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years
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