Team Nigeria has recorded its first major success at the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games following the winning of gold medal by the country’s powerlifter, Latifat Tijani, who won in the female 45kg event. Tijani defeated China’s Zhe Cui to lift 107kg. She was a gold medallist at the Brazzaville 2015 Africa Games and silver medallist at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, who will also be in the women’s 45kg straight gold medal contest the same day. Before Tijani’s success, one of Nigeria’s para powerlifting medal hope Yakubu Adesokan, missed out to reach the podium in the finals in men’s 49kg powerlifting.
Adesokan returned fourth with a lift of 155kg, conceding the podium to the trio of Qarada Omar Hamadeh of Jordan who won the gold, Le Van Cong of Vietnam, silver, and Mamnadov Parvin of Azerbaijan, bronze.
Adesokan was a London 2012 Paralympic and 2014 World Para Powerlifting Championships gold medalist.