Gateway Games 2024: How Rivers, Lagos Athletes Lifted Their Ways To ‘Golden’ Victory

Ruth Nyong of Rivers State and the African Champion, Omolola Onome Didih of Lagos State were the outstanding performers of Day 2 of the Weightlifting event of the ongoing Ogun 2024 National Sports Festival tagged the Gateway Games.

Both Weightlifters put up impressive performances to win four gold medals and two silvers for their states in the women’s 49kg and 55kg categories.

In the Women’s 49kg class, Nyong won two gold and one silver medal. She lifted 75kg to claim gold in the snatch and got the second gold in her total lift of 167kg. Nyong originally from Akwa Ibom State handed Rivers State additional silver medal with her 92kg lift in the Clean & Jerk.

In the same weight class, Ebele Chukwu Vanessa Agbah of Delta State bagged gold in the Clean & Jerk with her 93kg lift and a Silver medal with her lift of 164kg.

In the snatch, Quadri Zainab of Lagos grabbed a silver with her lift of 72kg while Adamma Dorcas Anyimba of Kano got a bronze with her lift of 71kg.

The same Anyimba also got a bronze medal with her total lift of 157kg. Monica Uweh of Ogun State finished with a bronze medal in the Clean & Jerk with her 88kg lift.

In the Women’s 55kg, African Games Gold medallist, Omolola Onome Didih of Lagos won two gold medals in the snatch and total with her lifts of 93kg and 205kg in that order. She was however beaten in the Clean & Jerk by determined Theresa Daniel Okon of Akwa Ibom State who lifted 113kg to win the gold medal. Didih finished a kilogram behind for a silver and her third medal.

Temidayo Jegede of Kano claimed two silver and a bronze medal to add to the pyramids’ state’s medals’ haul. She lifted 77kg in the snatch and 175kg total lift for her two silver medals before her bronze in the Clean & Jerk with a lift of 98kg. Joy Chima from Lagos got the remaining two bronze medals with her lifts of 71kg and 168kg in the snatch and total.

Meanwhile, 2023 African Games Gold medallist, King Kalu of Cross River State and Esther Amarachi Chijoke of Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) bagged five gold medals combined for their states in the men’s 55kg.

In the Men’s 55kg, Kalu secured three gold medals for Cross River with a total lift of 215kg comprising of 94kg lift in snatch and 121kg lift in Clean & Jerk.

Elechi Nnadozie Elvis of Bayelsa State won a silver medal in the snatch with a lift of 93kg while Abayomi Adeleye of Ekiti State got the bronze medal in the snatch with 92kg.

Tobi Ishola of Oyo claimed a silver in the Clean & Jerk with a lift of 118kg and he got a further bronze medal in the total with 206kg.

Representing Bayelsa State, John Solomon won a bronze medal in the Clean & Jerk with a lift of 117kg and a silver medal in the total with a lift of 207kg.

In the women’s 45kg, Esther Amarachi Chijoke of the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) captured two goals medals in the Clean & Jerk and total with a lift of 82kg and 146kg respectively and she added a silver medal in the snatch with a lift of 64kg.

Ronke Olarinoye (Lagos) was the overall second in the women’s 45kg with a gold in the snatch with a lift of 65kg and a bronze medal in the total with 140kg.

Christiana Alloma of Rivers State won two silver and a bronze medal. She got a bronze medal in the snatch with a lift of 61kg while she added two silver medals in the Clean & Jerk (81kg) and total 142kg.