2021 World Para Powerlifting: Omolayo, Oluwafemiayo win gold, set new world records

By Akeem Lawal

TOKYO 2020 Paralympic Games gold medalists Bose Omolayo and Folashade Oluwafemiayo of Nigeria add new world titles to their collections winning gold at the 2021 World Para Powerlifting in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The Nigerian flag flew proudly for the second time in two days as Paralympic champion, Omolayo drove to victory with a lift of 144kg and set a new world record in the women’s up to 79kg category.

It was a head-on clash for gold between China and Nigeria. As the reigning world champion, Han Miaoyu of China was determined to stay top but, in the end, no one could match the high standard set by Omolayo.

The Nigerian had been brushing closer and closer to the world record throughout the championships and after securing gold with her third-round lift of 142kg, Omolayo went 2kg further to set a new African and world’s best mark.

“I’ve got power,” said an ecstatic Omolayo following her victory. “I’m very happy… It’s not easy to push weights. It’s not easy to beat the world record”.

Having failed her final lift, Han accepted third place with a score of 131kg, leaving Vera Muratova of the RPC to claim silver (136kg).

It was another incredible performance by Folashade Oluwafemiayo who was crowned with a third world title and a new world record on Friday.

Oluwafemiayo lifted 152.5kg in the women’s up to 86kg ‘power lift’ to break the world record and improve on her previous WR of 125kg. 

Her dominance was such that from her first lift of 140kg, she was already guaranteed the gold medal.

China’s Feifei Zheng who won the silver medal lifter her best weight of 137kg after three attempts.

Oluwafemiayo lifted 144kg, before taken down her World Record of 152kg.

Also in the women’s up to 73kg, Nigeria’ Khalifa Almaruf got to the podium after clinching bronze with her lift of 138kg.

Captain of Team Nigeria to Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Lucy Ejike had claimed Gold medal following her victory in the 67kg events in the early hours of Wednesday.

Nigeria is currently second on the medals table with three gold, one silver and two bronze medals behind China who occupies the first spot with four gold, four silver and three bronze medals.

Egypt are third with two gold and four silver medals.

Photo caption:

Pix 1: Bose Omolayo (center) at the 2021 Para Powerlifting in Tbilisi, Georgia with Vera Muratova (left) and Miaoyu Han (right).

Pix 2: Folashade Oluwafemiayo (centre) celebrating her gold medal in the women's up to 86kg with Zheng Feifei (left) and Nataliia Oliinya 

Pix By ⒸHiroki Nishioka for World Para Powerlifting