Oyema, Ezuruike clinch silver on opening day

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Esther Oyema and Roland Ezuruike each claimed silver medals in para powerlifting as Team Nigeria enjoyed a rush of success on the opening day of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

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Oyema, aged 44, finished behind compatriot Esther Nworgu in the women’s lightweight category, having attempted to break Nworgu’s Games record with a lift of 125kg but narrowly missing it in the first round.

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She later successfully lifted 125kg on her second attempt to secure silver with 115.5 points, completing a Nigerian one-two in the event, with England’s Olivia Broome taking bronze on 119kg and 106.6 points.

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Earlier on Friday, Ezuruike had delivered Nigeria’s first medal of the Games, claiming silver in the Men’s Lightweight Group A category with a total of 153.9 points.

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The Paralympian came close to winning gold, attempting a Games record lift of 190kg on his final effort, but narrowly missed out and had to settle for second place.

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Both medallists benefited from the National Sports Commission’s enhanced performance-based reward policy.

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According to the NSC, Oyema received an instant cash reward of $2,000 at the competition venue, along with a further $3,000 paid directly into her account, for a total of $5,000, while Ezuruike was presented with an instant reward of $2,000, which, combined with an additional performance bonus of $2,000, brought his total payout to $4,000.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to rewarding Team Nigeria’s athletes was already being felt as the country’s campaign got underway in style

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