Folasade Oluwafemiayo increased Team Nigeria’s medals haul at the ongoing 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo on Monday by winning the gold medal in the women’s -86kg event of the powerlifting competition.
The 36-year-old won the event with a bang by setting a new world record, as well as Paralympic record with a lift of 152kg.
The silver medalist in the women’s 75kg event at the 2012 Games lifted 147kg in her first attempt, and 149kg in the second attempt.
She went on to take a lead with a 151kg lift in her third attempt, leaving her opponents bewildered as she went on to lift 152kg in the final attempt.
Oluwafemiayo was way ahead of the pack which had China’s Zheng Feifei winning the silver with a lift of 139kg.
Great Britain’s Louise Sugden won the bronze medal with a lift of 131kg.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oluwafemiayo’s feat took Nigeria to 21st on the medals table, with a total haul of three gold, one silver and two bronze.
Earlier in the day, Loveline Obiji had won silver medal for Team Nigeria in the women’s +86kg event.
Loveline Obiji’s best lift of 147 kg on Monday was good enough to win silver medal for Nigeria in the women’s power lifting +86kg event at the ongoing 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
Obiji recorded her best lift of 147 kg to take the second position in her category.
Deng Xuemei from China placed first with a lift of 153 kg, while Zieba Marzena from Poland lifted 140 Kg to win bronze.
Obiji, born September 11, 1990, competed in the women’s +61 kg event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where she won gold medal.
At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, she won the gold medal in the 86kg category briefly, as Randa Mahmoud’s world record setting last lift was not allowed.
However, Mahmoud appealed and her lift was allowed, giving her the gold medal and the world record. Obiji took the silver.
The 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, which started on August 24 is expected to end on September 5.