The 20th Commonwealth Games kicked off at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland on Wednesday. Nigeria is among the 71 countries that are competing in the Games. Nigeria began its campaign at the games with table tennis and weightlifting on Thursday, July 24.
Nkechi Opara won Nigeria’s first medal at the games, with a bronze medal in the women’s weightlifting 48kg category. The 18-year-old lifted 162kg, placing her third behind India’s Sanjita Khumukcham and Mirabai Chanu Saikhom who lifted 173kg and 170kg to take home the gold and silver medals.
Nigeria’s Rasaq Tanimowo wasn’t lucky in the men’s weightlifting 56kg category. The 21-year-old Lagosian lifted 225kg to finish sixth. India also took the gold and bronze medals whilst the silver medal went to Malaysia.
In Table Tennis, the Nigerian team comprised of Segun Toriola, Quadri Aruna and Ojo Onaolapo who dismantled Mauritius 3-1 in the men’s category. Toriola and Aruna proved too strong for their opponents, whilst Onaolapo succumbed to his Mauritian counterpart. However, Onaolapo recovered in the second game against Bangladesh, helping his team to a convincing 3-0.
The female tennis team made up of Rashidat Ogundele, Offiong Edem and Ganiat Ogundele kicked off their campaign with a 3-0 win over Kenya. However, things went awry for Offiong Edem when she teamed up with Cecilia Akpan and Olufunke Oshonaike, losing 3-1 to the Indians.
Today, Nigeria’s Kehinde Ademuyiwa will tackle Tanzania’s Selemani Salum Kidunda Men’s Boxing Welterweight round of 32.
