The second Day of Games at 2022 Commonwealth Games saw a debut of Team Nigeria after Weightlifter, Adijat Adenike Olarinoye scooped one of the four gold medals given out on the Day.
This win came in the Women’s 55kg category over India’s Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam.
Olarinoye who also won gold at the 2019 African Games set two records on the day winning the gold medal with 2 new Commonwealth Games Records: 92kg in snatch, 111kg in clean & jerk to amount to 203 kg overall.
Speaking with journalists after the medal ceremony, Olarinoye expressed her delight at being the first athlete to put Nigeria on the medals table at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“It is an honor to be the one to first win Gold here” she said
Day 2 also saw Team Nigeria’s Stella Kingsley compete in Women’s 49kg Weightlifting where she unfortunately lost the silver medal by 2kg to Mauritius’ Marie Hanitra Roilya Ranaivosoa and the Bronze medal by 1kg to Canada’s Hannah Kaminski.
Emmanuel Appah also competed in the Men’s 61kg Weightlifting event. He finished in 5th place.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought contest in Table Tennis between Team Nigeria and Team England with Team Nigeria forcing a fifth set which they lost to Team England 3-2. Team England will now advance to the semifinals while the Nigerian players focus on their respective singles’ competitions.
A quick breakdown of the game between Team Nigeria and Team England
Doubles:
Fatima Bello/ Offiong Edem 0-3 Charlotte Bardsley/Maria Tsaptsinos (6 -11,8- 11,12 -14)
Singles Game 1:
Ajoke Ojomu 0 – 3 Tin-Tin Ho (4 -11,9 – 11, 7 – 11)
Singles Game 2 :
Offiong Edem 3 – 1 Maria Tsaptsinos (4-11, 11 -9, 13-11, 12-10)
Singles Game 3:
Fatima Bello 3-2 Tin-Tin Ho (11-8, 10-12, 6-11,11-8,11-4)
Singles Game 4:
Ajoke Ojomu 2 – 3 Charlotte Bardsley (11 -6, 7 -11, 8 – 11, 11 -3, 9 -11)
Also, Boxing had mixed feelings for Team Nigeria as 2019 African Games Light Middleweight Champion Bolanle Shogbamu lost her Round of 16 Light Middleweight bout to England’s Jodie Wilkinson by points 4-1.
In the Men’s Light Middleweight category, Team Nigeria’s Abdul-Afeez Osoba knocked out Bahamas’ Carl Hield to book his Round of 16 place.
The 2019 African Games Silver medalist wasted no time in dispatching his opponent as he affirms that his sight was fixed on the Gold medal.
Overall, Team Nigeria now shares the 9th position on the Medals table with Uganda, Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago.
For Team Nigeria Day 3 will see action in Table Tennis, Para Table Tennis, Weightlifting and Boxing.
