Rita Ferdinand is a Nigerian para-powerlifter who has emerged as one of the country’s rising stars in international adaptive sports. Born on 11 September 1995, she competes in the women’s up to 79 kg category and has gained recognition for her exceptional strength, discipline, and competitive achievements on the global stage

Ferdinand made a remarkable breakthrough at the 2025 World Para Powerlifting Championships in Cairo, Egypt, where she won the gold medal in the women’s 79 kg event. In an outstanding performance, she lifted 153 kg, setting a new African record and defeating reigning Paralympic champion Han Miaoyu of China.

And at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the Nigerian continued to smash records when she powered to a massive 158kg lift, scoring 128.2 points to set a new world record.

Unlike at the Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games heavyweight category for athletes over 61kg uses a coefficient formula to score lifts against the athletes’ individual body weights.

The previous world record holder of the women’s 79kg event was Han Miaoyu’s gold medal lift of 154kg on September 7 2024, at the Olympic Games in Paris.

“I feel very awesome; my happiness knows no bounds,” Ferdinand said. “Folashade is like an idol to me. I look up to her, and I wanted to be a world-record holder like she is.”

Veteran lifter Folashade Oluwafemiayo defended her Women’s Heavyweight title during the night of Para Powerlifting world records. The two-time Paralympic champion justified her top billing by setting a world best mark for lifters 86kg and over before bettering even that with her final attempt of the competition.

Ferdinand is one of the athletes who took part in the Commonwealth Sport’s GAPS programme, a development and peace programme that supports the development of inclusive sport pathways throughout the Commonwealth.

Along with teammates Oyema and Nworgu the Nigerian trio all attended GAPS camps, with Ferdinand and Nworgu taking part in the pre-Games camp in Ayr. Her accomplishments have inspired many young athletes, particularly people living with disabilities, proving that perseverance and hard work can overcome barriers.

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Late into the first day of competition, Nigeria have made a flying start at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, surging into second position on the medals table after collecting three gold and three silver medals.

With six medals already secured, Team Nigeria trail only perennial Commonwealth Games powerhouse Australia, who lead the standings with six gold, two silver and five bronze medals for a total haul of 13.

But it is Nigeria’s position above hosts Scotland and traditional sporting giants England that provides an early eye-catching feature of the medals table.

Nigeria’s three gold medals are already more than the two won by Scotland and three times England’s current haul of one.

The hosts occupy third position with two gold and two silver medals, while England, despite having collected eight medals overall, sit fourth because only one of those medals is gold.

England have so far won one gold, four silver and three bronze medals.

That leaves Nigeria as not only the highest-ranked African nation at the Games but also the only country apart from Australia to have won at least three gold medals at this stage of competition.

South Africa, the other African country currently on the table, have one gold and two bronze medals and occupy sixth position, behind Canada, who have an identical medal breakdown.

Nigeria’s six medals have an unusual complexion — every one of them is either gold or silver. Team Nigeria are yet to win a bronze medal.

The early returns offer encouraging signs for the Nigerian contingent as competition gathers pace in Glasgow, with several more medal opportunities still to come.

New Zealand are seventh with two silver medals, while Wales have a solitary silver. India and Malaysia complete the current top 10 with one bronze medal apiece.

Latest Commonwealth Games medals table

For Team Nigeria, the challenge now is to sustain the momentum.

Australia may have opened a gap at the summit, but Nigeria’s three-gold start has put the green-and-white contingent firmly among the early headline-makers in Glasgow.

And with more Nigerian medal hopefuls still to compete, the battle for places near the top of the table is far from settled.

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Nigeria enjoyed a golden night of strength, records and national pride at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Friday as veteran Folashade Oluwafemiayo successfully defended her women’s heavyweight Para Powerlifting title with a stunning world-record performance.

The 41-year-old two-time Paralympic champion produced a masterclass at the SEC Armadillo, breaking records with all three successful lifts and eventually raising the world-best mark to an imposing 175kg.

https://x.com/Glasgow_2026/status/2080765268372910244/video/1.

There was even more Nigerian celebration as teammate Rita Ferdinand powered to silver with a world record of her own. At the same time, Riluwan Idris later captured gold in the men’s heavyweight event.

The results meant Nigeria claimed the top two positions in the women’s heavyweight competition and added another gold in the men’s event on a memorable evening.

Oluwafemiayo, one of Nigeria’s most decorated Para athletes, made her intentions clear from her opening attempt.

She immediately attacked her own Commonwealth Games record of 165kg and completed the lift.

But she was only getting started.

For her second attempt, Oluwafemiayo pushed the bar to 172kg, four kilogrammes more than the 168kg she lifted at the 2025 World Championships in Egypt last October.

Again, she succeeded.

With the gold medal already secured, the Nigerian champion went for an extraordinary 175kg on her final attempt and completed it to cap three lifts and three records on a remarkable night.

“175 is not easy,” Oluwafemiayo said. “I was not expecting it, I was just calculating based on my training.”

Her continuing dominance, she explained, has been built around passion, resilience and discipline.

“If you have passion for something, there’s no other way,” she said. “You go with your whole heart. It’s about the passion, but also the resilience and the discipline.”

If Oluwafemiayo was untouchable at the summit, Ferdinand ensured that the Nigerian flag also occupied the next step on the podium.

She produced a magnificent final lift of 158kg, setting a world record for the women’s +79kg category and securing the silver medal.

Ferdinand described her illustrious teammate as an inspiration behind her own ambition to become a world-record holder.

“I feel very awesome, my happiness knows no bounds,” Ferdinand said.

“Folashade is like an idol to me. I look up to her and I wanted to be a world-record holder like she is.”

Australia’s Hani Watson, a close friend but platform rival of Oluwafemiayo, completed the podium with bronze.

Unlike at the Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games heavyweight competition for athletes above 61kg uses a coefficient formula that scores performances in relation to the lifters’ individual body weights.

The Nigerian gold rush did not end with Oluwafemiayo.

Riluwan Idris powered to 208kg on his second attempt to win the men’s heavyweight title and deliver Nigeria’s third gold medal of the Para Powerlifting competition.

England’s Matthew Harding claimed silver, while India’s Jhandu Kumar took bronze.

The performances reinforced Nigeria’s reputation as a formidable force in international Para Powerlifting, with Oluwafemiayo once again providing the headline act.

At 41, the Nigerian champion is still raising the bar — literally.

And on a spectacular Friday night in Glasgow, she raised it to 175kg, a world record and another golden chapter in Nigeria’s Commonwealth Games story.

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