Nigeria’s Rafiatu Lawal gave the country a perfect start at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after sweeping all three gold medals in the women’s 58kg weightlifting event.
Lawal was in dominant form, lifting 98kg in the snatch and 122kg in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 220kg, enough to place her well ahead of Uzbekistan’s Niogora Abdullaeva, who settled for silver, and Egypt’s Noura Essam, who claimed bronze.
Her victory adds to an already glittering record. Just last month, the 28-year-old made history at the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Forde, Norway, where she became the first Nigerian to win three silver medals in a single championship.
Over the years, Lawal has built a reputation as one of Africa’s most consistent lifters. She previously won gold at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the 2023 African Games in Accra. She also finished fifth at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The sixth Islamic Solidarity Games, which run from November 7 to 21, have brought together more than 3,000 athletes from 57 nations. Competitors are taking part in 23 sports spread across top venues in Riyadh.
Nigeria’s delegation consists of 46 members, including 35 athletes and 11 officials, competing in seven sports: athletics, para-athletics, para powerlifting, weightlifting, wrestling, boxing, and taekwondo.
In boxing, Zainab Adeshina punched her way into the women’s 51kg final after defeating Algeria’s Fatiha Mansouri 4-1 on points in a tense semi-final on Sunday at The Promenade, Art Tower.
Adeshina, representing the red corner, had a slow start but turned the fight around in the last round with sharper movement and more accurate punches. Mansouri’s discipline issues proved costly, as the Algerian was warned twice by referee Chang Yu-Ling of Taiwan, resulting in point deductions that ultimately sealed the Nigerian’s win.
The judges’ scorecards reflected Adeshina’s strong finish, with four of the five judges, from Egypt, Iraq, Slovakia, and Australia, awarding her the bout, while only the Puerto Rican judge sided with Mansouri. The Australian judge scored all three rounds 10-9 for Adeshina, giving her a clean 30-27 victory, while others returned 28-27 in her favour.
Her determined display booked her a place in Monday’s gold medal fight against Tunisia’s Rabia Topuz. The 21-year-old had earlier won her quarter-final bout on Thursday before her comeback victory in the semi-final.
Adeshina is part of a two-woman boxing team led by coach Abayomi Oyeleye, alongside Ridwan Raheem, who competes in the men’s welterweight division.
