Rafiatu Folashade Lawal helped give Nigeria’s Weightlifting community a day they will never forget after she produced a dominant performance to win her nation's third gold medal from three events at the SEC Armadillo on Monday. 

Rafiatu, a 2025 world championship silver medallist, led the Women’s 58kg by nine kilograms, thanks to a Commonwealth record and Games record of 103kg in the Snatch. She then bided her time before she began the Clean & Jerk. 

While Lawal was waiting, Canada’s Ann Sophie Taschereau and India’s Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam claimed the top two positions. In the end they were forced to settle for silver and bronze as Lawal increased her advantage with a Games record lift of 126kg that sent the crowd wild. 

“I’m proud of myself and proud of my hard work,” Lawal said. “The conditions went well for me today and the crowd was so amazing. To see a crowd shouting for Nigeria motivated me. 

“This is the best. Since I’ve been competing, I’ve never had six complete attempts, but today I had six complete attempts without any scares and I’m happy with that.” 

Her victory was Nigeria’s sixth gold across the two sports at Glasgow 2026 and followed Edidiong Umoafia’s success in the men’s 71kg final earlier in the day.

In Total, Rafiatu Folashade Lawal lifted 229kg, breaking the Commonwealth Games record in the Women's 58kg category set at 201kg, and matching her own Commonwealth record, 229kg, set last year.

In Clean & Jerk, Lawal lifted 126kg, beating the Games Record of 112kg, but coming behind her own Commonwealth record of 128kg.

In Snatch, Lawal lifted 103kg beating the Games Record of 89kg, and beating her Commonwealth record of 101kg set last year.