Cikamatana achieves third consecutive gold
Eileen Floanna Maria Cikamatana of Australia secured her third consecutive gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, triumphing in weightlifting. Competing at the SEC Armadillo, Cikamatana successfully lifted 136kg on her initial clean and jerk attempt to claim the top position. Her performance included a 108kg lift, contributing to her overall victory. Canada’s Rose Beaudoin earned the bronze medal in the event.
Cikamatana expressed satisfaction with her achievement, stating that her primary objective for the competition was to win a third gold medal, a mission she successfully accomplished. She noted her happiness with the outcome.
Ngake’s return to the Commonwealth stage
Madias Ngake, representing England, marked her return to the Commonwealth Games by winning a silver medal in the women’s 86kg weightlifting category. This achievement follows her previous bronze medal for Cameroon at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Ngake, based in Nottingham, led the competition after the snatch section with a Commonwealth Games record lift of 111kg.
She then executed a 128kg clean and jerk, bringing her total to 239kg. However, Cikamatana’s 140kg lift ultimately secured the gold. Ngake’s initial appearance at the Commonwealth Games was in Delhi 2010, where she finished fourth while representing Cameroon. She narrowly missed a bronze medal due to being heavier than her competitor.
Following the London 2012 Olympic Games, Ngake sought asylum in the United Kingdom. Seven years later, her London 2012 bronze medal was reallocated, though it remains in Cameroon. Ngake resumed competition in 2023 for Great Britain after encountering her former coach at the British Championships in Manchester, which motivated her to qualify for Glasgow 2026.
Ngake reflected on her journey, highlighting the significance of her return to competition after a break from lifting post-2012. She trained for a year to qualify for these Games, emphasizing her focus on performing her best and adhering to her coach’s guidance. She acknowledged that while it wasn’t her best performance, she was content with it, noting that she had aimed for a gold medal, possibly with a 134kg or 135kg lift in the clean and jerk. She ranked this silver medal as her second most significant achievement, after her Olympic bronze.
Other notable weightlifting performances
In the women’s 77kg category, Samoa’s Seine Stowers continued her family’s legacy by winning gold. This marks her first Commonwealth Games appearance. Stowers, who is the sister of Feagaiga Stowers, a gold medalist at Gold Coast 2018 and a silver medalist at Birmingham 2022, held a 10kg lead after the snatch phase. Despite failing her final lift at 133kg, her earlier performance was sufficient to secure the gold. England’s Isabella Brown claimed silver, and Wales’ Laura Hughes took bronze.
Stowers expressed her excitement about her debut at the Commonwealth Games and her self-belief. She mentioned receiving advice from her sister about her own first Commonwealth Games experience. In the men’s 94kg event, Mohamad Syahmi Bin Nor-Ghazali of Malaysia earned a gold medal with a Games record. He waited for his competitors to complete their attempts before lifting 197kg to take the lead. An attempt at 205kg was unsuccessful due to a right foot cramp, requiring assistance from the stage.
Despite the injury, he celebrated his gold medal with visible emotion. Canada’s Alex Bellemarre secured silver, also setting a Games record with a 159kg snatch. Australia’s Oliver Saxton earned bronze, contributing to his team’s second weightlifting medal at Glasgow 2026. Nor-Ghazali stated that the medal meant everything to him, expressing pride and noting his three-month separation from his parents for training. He confirmed that his left hamstring cramped, causing pain, but that he was now okay.
Source: glasgow2026.com
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