Ayoola Adeleke
Nigeria’s veteran para-powerlifter Roland Ezuruike opened Team Nigeria’s medal account at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Friday, claiming silver in the men’s Lightweight Group A Powerlifting event in Glasgow, Platinum News is reporting
Ezuruike produced a 153.9kg lift at the SEC Armadillo to secure Nigeria’s first medal of the Games.
The 50-year-old came agonisingly close to gold, failing his final attempt at a Commonwealth Games record 190kg. He had matched England’s Mark Swan on points, but Swan took gold on countback after clearing 222kg to Ezuruike’s 185kg in the second round. Malaysia’s Bonnie Bunyau Gustin, the defending champion, settled for bronze on 153.5 points.
A Glasgow Tradition
This isn’t Ezuruike’s first rodeo in Glasgow — he won silver at the very same city’s 2014 Commonwealth Games, before upgrading to gold at Gold Coast 2018. Add his 2016 Rio Paralympic gold and multiple world titles, and this silver extends a near two-decade run of delivering medals for Nigeria on the international stage.
The Reaction
Though visibly emotional after narrowly missing gold, Ezuruike later embraced the podium moment, thanking the National Sports Commission for its support and vowing more is coming for Team Nigeria in Glasgow.P
Photos: Making of Champions