Team Nigeria wrapped up their journey at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris with a strong performance in Para Powerlifting, their signature event, as Team Nigeria Captain, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, brought home a stunning GOLD medal, which provided the highlight of the day.
Oluwafemiayo snatched the victory in style by breaking two World Records (WR) enroute the path to GOLD. She lifted an impressive 157kg – 7kg more than her closest competitor, China’s Xuemi Deng, who managed 150kg.
For her second lift, the Nigerian took on 162kg, surpassing her compatriot Josephine Orji’s record of 160kg. But she wasn’t done yet. On her third attempt, she aimed for 166kg, breaking her own previous WR in the women’s over 86kg Para Powerlifting category, becoming the first Para-athlete to lift 166kg.
With her body weight under 100kg, Oluwafemiayo raised the bar even higher, lifting 167kg just two minutes later and setting a new WR. She is now a three-time world powerlifting champion and a double Paralympic GOLD medallist, winning in both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Unfortunately, not all news was joyful for Team Nigeria. Loveline Obiji, who had hoped to
compete in the women’s up to 86kg event, was disqualified before the event began.
Team Nigeria concluded the Paralympics with seven medals: two GOLD, three silver, and two
bronze, placing 40th overall and 4th in Africa, just behind Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.
Since the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics, Nigerian Paralympians have consistently brought home medals from every edition they’ve attended.
