Liadi targets more glories after Samoa feat
Nigerian weightlifter Taiwo Liadi has described her triple silver medal performance at the 2026 Oceania Weightlifting Championships in Apia, Samoa as deeply satisfying — while insisting she expects more of
Nigerian weightlifter Taiwo Liadi has described her triple silver medal performance at the 2026 Oceania Weightlifting Championships in Apia, Samoa as deeply satisfying — while insisting she expects more of herself.
Speaking to NWF Media after the event, the Oyo-born lifter said she was proud to have represented her country on one of the sport's demanding international stages, even as she set her sights higher.
"I am so happy that I could perform at the competition and I was able to make it to the podium. I am glad I also made my family and country proud in the process," Liadi said.
Competing in the women's 77kg category at a combined event that featured the Oceania Championships, the Universal Weightlifting Cup, and the Commonwealth Championships, Liadi lifted 105kg in the snatch and 135kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 240kg, finishing on the podium across all three competitions against a field drawn from more than 70 countries.
Yet the result fell short of her own ambitions.
"I was expecting more than the record I set, but I think I did my best to have the three silver medals," she said — words that reflect the mind-set of an athlete who measures herself against personal standards rather than placing alone.
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It is a mentality that has shaped a steady rise in the sport. Liadi won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she also set a junior Commonwealth record in the clean and jerk. That same hunger for higher standards was evident in Samoa.
She also revealed the physical and logistical toll of the trip itself.
"It wasn't that easy for me. I spent three days in the air and it was not easy for me to recover quickly because of the time-zone difference. I had to work with a very tight schedule, but I am grateful to God that I was able to make it to the podium," she said.
Liadi also acknowledged the support of key sports administrators, including the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko; the Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade; the President of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, Dr Ibrahim Abdul; and the NWF board, whose backing made her participation possible.
