Didih credits late mother after Commonwealth Games 2026 gold

Onome Omolola Didih has traced her Commonwealth Games 2026 gold medal in the women’s 53kg weightlifting class to the decision her late mother made in 2013. The 22-year-old Nigerian also broke three world records during her winning performance in Glasgow, Scotland.

Didih said her mother guided her into the sport after noticing how energetic she was as a child. Although people in their community encouraged her mother to place her in athletics, she wanted an activity that would not expose her daughter to the injuries associated with combat sports.

The opportunity came through a nearby weightlifter. After asking the woman where she trained, Didih’s mother personally took her to the venue, where Coach Ene welcomed the young athlete and began working with her. Didih had not previously followed sport and did not even know weightlifting existed before that visit.

The path to success was not easy. Heavy training, financial pressure and the general strain of the sport once pushed Didih towards quitting. She told her mother she wanted to stop, but her mother refused to let her abandon the discipline and continued to encourage her to believe in a future in weightlifting.

Her resolve changed during the 2020 National Sports Festival in Benin City. Coach Emmanuel persuaded her to compete before making a final decision about her future. Didih won a silver medal and a bronze, the first medals of her career, and the result renewed her commitment to training.

She returned to the sport with greater determination and was later invited to Nigeria’s national camp. Didih did not make the team at her first attempt, but earned her opportunity after three or four further invitations. Her first international appearance came in 2024, followed by African Weightlifting Championship gold in Egypt earlier this year and her Commonwealth triumph in Glasgow.

Didih has said her mother’s role remains a source of both sadness and pride because she is no longer alive to see the achievement. The Commonwealth title and three world records have given her a way to honour the person who first took her to a weightlifting gym.