Dylan Bettencourt
Nigerian weightlifter Rafiatu Lawal has set a new Commonwealth Games record on her way to winning the gold medal in the women’s 59kg category.
The 25-year-old lifted 206kg in the snatch and clean jerk.
Lawal said her parents will be very proud of her for not just winning the gold medal but setting a new record in the process.
“They are always proud of me, but I think my parents will be prouder now than before,” she told BBC Sport.
Lawal is the current African weightlifting champion after winning gold medals at both the 2019 African Games and the 2021 African Weightlifting Championships.
Despite being the African champion, Lawal said breaking the record in England came as a surprise.
“I didn’t even know I broke the record. I was focussed on winning the gold medal,” she added.
“Hearing the Nigerian fans in the crowd really helped. It wasn’t the first time I faced a huge crowd but the support really calmed my nerves. I didn’t expect to win gold but God did it for me.”
Lawal’s success in Birmingham serves as a shining light in Nigeria’s weightlifting journey at the Games.
Nigeria has a history of doping violations at the Games with the Nigerian Weightlifting Federation being suspended in 2001 for repeated doping violations.
The 16-year-old Chika Amalaha was stripped of her gold medal in 2014 after failing a drug test.
Following Amalaha, who is suspended until 2027, weightlifters Blessed Udoh, Elizabeth Onuah and Balikis Otunla were also given long-term suspensions for doping.
Image source: @PresentNigeria
