Nigerian para powerlifting legend, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, has broken her own world record to claim gold at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday.
The 40-year-old lifted 168 kg in the women’s over 86 kg category, surpassing her previous mark of 167 kg set at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, to secure her fourth world title and reaffirm her dominance on the global stage.
China’s Cui Zhe finished second to take silver, while Iran’s Nikoo Roozbahani clinched bronze.
Oluwafemiayo, a two-time Paralympic champion, continues to set the standard in the sport, having previously won world titles at Mexico City 2017, Nur-Sultan 2019, and Tbilisi 2021 before her latest triumph in Cairo 2025.
Her victory was particularly historic, as it came in the first-ever World Para Powerlifting Championships hosted on African soil. The 11th edition of the championships, held from October 9 to 18, featured both the Rookie & Next Gen and Elite World Championships events.
Oluwafemiayo’s rise to the top has been one of perseverance and resilience. She began her para powerlifting journey in 2010, winning silver at the London 2012 Paralympics in the women’s -75 kg category—remarkably while pregnant.
Her career faced a setback in 2013 after a two-year ban for testing positive for the banned substance furosemide, followed by another break before the Rio 2016 Paralympics, which she missed due to pregnancy.
She returned stronger in 2017, setting a world record en route to gold in Mexico City, and successfully defended her title at Nur-Sultan 2019.
At Tokyo 2020, she claimed her first Paralympic gold, lifting 151 kg in the women’s up to 86 kg category—12 kg more than China’s Feifei Zheng. Four months later, she triumphed again at the Tbilisi 2021 World Championships and added another gold at the Cairo 2022 African Open Championships.
Although she settled for bronze at Dubai 2023, lifting 152 kg behind Zheng and Ukraine’s Nataliia Oliinyk, Oluwafemiayo bounced back in style. Transitioning to the over 86 kg class, she captured gold again at Paris 2024, setting her previous 167 kg world record, which she has now surpassed in Cairo.
Her record-breaking feat in Egypt further cements her legacy as one of the greatest para powerlifters of all time and a beacon of inspiration for athletes across Africa.