Nigeria aims to dominate Weightlifting at 4th Africa Youth Games

By Amaechi Agbo

Nigeria has released a strong list of four promising weightlifters and a coach for the 4th Africa Youth Games scheduled for 10–20 December 2025 in Luanda, Angola.
The competition schedule will be confirmed after the technical meeting on 14 December.
The athletes, drawn from recent standout performers at national and continental youth events, will aim to further consolidate Nigeria’s rising profile in age-grade weightlifting. The team will be led by Coach Blessing Itodo.
The Selected Athletes are: Cornelius Favour who will compete in the Women’s 44kg. Favour is one of Nigeria’s brightest prospects. She dominated the last National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State, winning three gold medals. She also featured among the Invited Junior Athletes initiated by the National Sports Commission during the 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State. Luanda 2025 will mark her first international appearance.
Esther Chidalu Ezenwa Esther Chidalu who is competing in the Women’s 48kg is another athlete to be on the lookout for. She claimed three silver medals at the last National Youth Games in Asaba while competing in the 44kg category. Since moving up to the 48kg class, she has shown remarkable improvement and consistency. The Africa Youth Games will also be her first outing on the international stage.
Another Weightlifters is Florence Olarinoye who is competing in the Women’s 58kg. Florence won a silver medal at the 2025 National Sports Festival in Ogun State, then went on to shine brilliantly at the African Youth and Junior Championships in Accra, Ghana, in July 2025, where she secured six gold medals across both age categories. She will be one of Nigeria’s key medal hopefuls in Angola.
Chinaza Cecilia Ezenwa is the fourth weightlifter at the Youth Games and she will compete in the Women’s 53kg.
Chinaza stamped her authority at the African Youth and Junior Championships with three gold medals in the youth division. Shortly after, she added three silver medals at the Youth Games in Asaba. She brings strong momentum into the continental event in Luanda.
Sefiya Onubaye and Christopher Nwadei were the invited referees from Nigeria
As Nigeria prepares for the 4th Africa Youth Games, expectations are high that the young lifters will deliver podium finishes and valuable international experience as they continue their development toward elite competition.