Nigeria’s Oluwafemiayo breaks world record to win fourth gold
Nigerian para powerlifting legend Folashade Oluwafemiayo has once again raised the bar by breaking her own world record to capture gold at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Cairo, Egypt.
The 40-year-old powerhouse lifted 168 kilograms in the women’s over 86 kg category, surpassing her previous record of 167 kg, which she set at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The lift secured her a fourth world title, reaffirming her position as one of the most dominant athletes in para powerlifting history.
China’s Cui Zhe earned silver, while Iran’s Nikoo Roozbahani rounded out the podium with bronze. Oluwafemiayo, a two-time Paralympic champion, first set the 167 kg record in Paris, one she has now bettered less than a year later.
Her latest triumph comes in her fifth World Championships appearance, having previously won gold in Mexico City (2017), Nur-Sultan (2019), and Tbilisi (2021).
This year’s event was particularly historic, marking the first time the World Para Powerlifting Championships were staged on African soil. The 11th edition, held from October 9–18, combined the Rookie & Next Gen program with the Elite Championships.
Oluwafemiayo’s rise has been defined by perseverance. She began para powerlifting in 2010 and made an unforgettable debut at the London 2012 Paralympics, earning silver in the -75 kg class while pregnant. Her momentum was briefly interrupted in 2013 following a two-year doping ban, and again before the Rio 2016 Games due to another pregnancy.
But the Nigerian star returned stronger each time. In 2017, she broke a world record to win gold in Mexico City and successfully defended her title two years later in Nur-Sultan. At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, she lifted 151 kg, 12 kg more than her closest rival, to seize her first Paralympic gold.
Her dominance continued with victories in Tbilisi (2021) and at the Cairo 2022 African Open Championships. Even after a rare bronze finish in Dubai 2023, Oluwafemiayo rebounded spectacularly. Moving up to the over 86 kg class, she clinched another Paralympic gold in Paris 2024 and now, an even greater world record in Cairo 2025.
Written by Kweku Sampson
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