.Obiji grabs Silver medal
Team Nigeria’s Folashade Olufemiayo and Bose Omolayo displayed high level resilience and dexterity to clinch the country’s second and third gold medal of the ongoing Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Omolayo came out tops in the women’s Powerlifting 79 kg category and capped her remarkable showing with a World and Paralympic Records when she lifted 141 kg, earning her a standing ovation from the spectators in the arena.
The heartwarming display also threw Team Nigeria’s camp into jubilation, raising the morale of the other athletes ahead of their events for the remaining days of the Games.
Not done with the superlative display of Omolayo, another Para Powerlifter, Folashade Oluwafemiayo delivered another gold medal in the 86 kg category with a lift of 152 kg to set a new World Record and Paralympic Record in the process.
Former World Champion, Loveline Obiji could only settle for a silver medal in the +86 kg cadre in Para Powerlifting when she lifed 147 kg.
She was pipped to the gold medal by Chinese’s Xuemei Deng who lifted 153 kg also in the +86 kg class.
Meanwhile, Flora Ugwunwa finished sixth in the Shotput F54 final also held today.
The Nigerian will look forward to the Javelin event in the same category where she’s one of the favourites for the gold medal because she won the same event at the last Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil five years ago.
With three gold, one silver and two bronze medals, Nigeria now sits in the 21st position on the medals table, after Day Eight, as the highest placed African nation at the Games.
