Team Edo stamped their authority in weightlifting at the ongoing 9th National Youth Games in Asaba, on Monday to emerge overall champions.
With a commanding haul of 9 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals (12 in total), Edo outclassed their rivals, leaving Team Akwa Ibom in second place with 5 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals (9 total). Team Abia followed in third with 3 gold, while Team Niger settled for fourth with 1 gold and 2 silver medals.
Teams Enugu, Oyo, and the FCT shared fifth position with three silver medals each, while Lagos finished eighth with three medals (2 silver, 1 bronze). Imo claimed ninth spot with 1 silver and 2 bronze medals, while Plateau, Delta, and Osun completed the top 12.
Edo’s dominance was most evident in the women’s weight classes, where they swept all nine gold medals on offer. Favour Cornelius (44kg), Esther Amarachi Chijoke (48kg), and Beauty Akpore (53kg) each clinched three gold medals to power Edo to the top.
In the men’s division, Akwa Ibom proved their strength, winning five of the nine gold medals available. Destiny Okon Bassey (56kg) secured two gold medals, while Goodness Samuel Okon (65kg) bagged three to highlight their dominance.
Team Abia also impressed, with Vitalis Nnaji Chiemerie sweeping three gold medals in the men’s 60kg category. Niger’s Abdulsalam Kamaldeen grabbed gold in the men’s 56kg clean and jerk with a lift of 91kg.
Other standout performances came from Oyo’s Fathia Toluwalase Owoyele, who battled hard to win three silver medals in the women’s 48kg category, while Enugu’s Aguji Michael Chiemerie (65kg) and FCT’s Esther Chidalu Ezenwa (44kg) both claimed three silver medals. Ezenwa’s younger sister, Chinaza Cecilia Ezenwa (Lagos, 53kg), added two silvers and one bronze to ensure Lagos made the medals table.
For Team Imo, Victory Maduabuchi Iwuoha contributed 1 silver and 2 bronze in the Men’s 60kg, while Plateau’s Dach Veirat Dachoaaom secured 1 silver and 1 bronze in the Women’s 53kg. Delta and Osun each walked away with five bronze medals through spirited performances from their lifters.
In total, 12 states registered on the medals table, but it was Edo’s remarkable clean sweep in the women’s division that underlined their supremacy.
At the close of the weightlifting event, President of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), Dr. Ibrahim Abdul Aladi, commended the outstanding performances of the athletes, assuring that newly discovered talents would be given more opportunities to develop and make the sport their own.
Dr. Aladi reaffirmed the Federation’s commitment to building a steady pool of weightlifters capable of representing Nigeria at both national and international levels.
Also speaking, NWF Technical Official, Sefiya Onubaye Ahuozia, lauded the quality of competition at the National Youth Games in Asaba. She expressed confidence that with the level of talent on display, Nigeria’s future in weightlifting remains bright.
