There hadn’t been a more gripping weightlifting contest at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games here than the women’s 53kg event.
In a riveting battle that went right down to the final lift, Nigeria’s Onome Omolola Didih edged out India’s Gyaneswari Yadav to claim the gold medal, despite the Indian producing a flawless performance by successfully completing all her attempts with remarkable composure and precision.
The Indian lifted a total of 199kg, while Didih produced a record total of 206kg, setting both a Commonwealth and a Commonwealth Games record. The Nigerian also rewrote the record books in the individual lifts, establishing Commonwealth and Games records in the snatch (93kg) and clean and jerk (113kg).
The duel reached its climax in the clean and jerk. Gyaneshwari opened with a successful 103kg lift, while Didih responded with 105kg. In the second round, the Indian confidently cleared 107kg, only for the Nigerian to stay ahead with 110kg.
With the pressure mounting, Gyaneshwari raised the bar to 111kg for her final attempt and nailed it, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. Didih, however, replied with an outstanding lift of 113kg to seal the gold medal in dramatic fashion.
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The moment she completed the winning lift, the 21-year-old Nigerian waved to the spectators before turning towards the television cameras and shaking her head in celebration.
Didih established herself as one of Africa’s leading lifters by winning three gold medals--snatch, clean and jerk, and total--in the African Championships in Moka, Mauritius, last year in the women’s 55Kg. Later, she also won the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad in 2025 in the women’s 53Kg. With the gold, she has now firmly established herself as the premier lifter in the Commonwealth.
Earlier, Gyaneshwari was flawless in the snatch series, comfortably clearing 82kg, 85kg and 88kg. Those effortless lifts suggested she was well poised for the clean and jerk.
But the Nigerian was a different beast altogether. Every challenge the Indian posed, Didih answered with an even bigger lift, staying one step ahead throughout the contest.
Gyaneshwari said she was content bagging the silver on her maiden Games as it was also her personal best. “My motive was to do my personal best. And I did it here. Dididh was a very tough competitor,” she told the mediapersons.
With Gyaneshwari’s silver, India’s medal tally rose to five, placing it eighth in the points table.
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Published on Jul 27, 2026