Idris bags gold in para-powerlifting as Nigeria’s medal tally cimbs to six at Commonwealth Games

Riluwan Idris delivered a commanding performance to claim the gold medal in the men’s para-powerlifting event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday night.

The 23-year-old topped the podium ahead of England’s Matthew Harding and Malaysia’s Nicodemus Manggoi Moses, who took silver and bronze respectively.

Idris sealed the victory with a lift of 208kg on his second attempt, becoming the only para-powerlifter in the event to successfully hoist above 200kg. He had opened with a 200kg lift on his first attempt and finished on 132.8 points to clinch his maiden Commonwealth Games gold.

He came agonisingly close to breaking the Commonwealth Games record of 212kg on his third and final attempt but fell short, though it did nothing to diminish his triumph.

Idris also became Nigeria’s first male athlete to win gold at the current Games. His medal joins earlier golds for record-breaking Folashade Oluwafemiayo and Esther Nworgu, further cementing Nigeria’s grip on the para-powerlifting programme with three golds and a silver.

Nigeria won three of the four gold medals available across the entire para-powerlifting schedule, bettering the two golds it claimed at the Birmingham 2022 Games.

The overall haul of six medals also edges past Nigeria’s previous tally of five from 2022.

At the close of Day One, Nigeria sat second on the medals table, with Australia leading the standings on six golds and 13 medals in total.