Folashade Oluwafemiayo have on Monday added to Team Nigeria’s medal haul at the ongoing 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo by winning a gold medal in women’s -86kg event of powerlifting competition.
The 36-year-old won the event with a bang by setting a new world record and Paralympic record with a lift of 152kg.
The silver medalist in the women’s 75kg event at 2012 Games lifted 147kg in her first attempt, and 149kg in the second attempt.
She went on to take a lead with a 151kg lift in her third attempt, leaving her opponents bewildered as she went on to lift 152kg in the final attempt.
Oluwafemiayo was way ahead of the pack which had China’s Zheng Feifei winning silver with a lift of 139kg while Great Britain’s Louise Sugden won the bronze medal with a lift of 131kg.
Earlier in the day, Loveline Obiji’s best loft Lt 147kg won Team Nigeria a silver medal in the women’s +86kg event.
Deng Xuemei from China placed first with a lift of 153kg, while Zieba Marzena from Poland lifted 140kg to win bronze.
Obiji, born September 11, 1990, competed in the women’s +61 kg event at 2014 Commonwealth Games where she won gold medal.
At 2016 Summer Paralympics, she won the gold medal in the 86kg category briefly, as Randa Mahmoud’s world record setting last lift was not allowed.
However, Mahmoud appealed and her lift was allowed, giving her the gold medal and the world record while Obiji took the silver.
The 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, which started on August 24 and is expected to end on September 5 is definitely going to be a memorable one for Team Nigeria.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oluwafemiayo’s feat took Nigeria to 21st on the medals table, with a total haul of four gold, one silver and two bronze.
Also, Nigeria is currently the highest placed African nation at the Games.
