Folashade Oluwafemiayo Sets New World Record at World Para Powerlifting Championships

Nigerian powerlifter Folashade Oluwafemiayo has made history at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Cairo, lifting a new world record of 168 kg in the women’s over 86 kg category to claim gold for Nigeria.

The 11th edition of the championships, held from October 9 to 18, 2025, featured both the Rookie & Next Gen events alongside the Elite World Championships.

Oluwafemiayo surpassed her previous world record of 167 kg, set at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The lift marked the heaviest ever recorded in her weight class and earned her fourth World Championship title, adding to her two Paralympic gold medals.

China’s Cui Zhe claimed silver, while Iran’s Nikoo Roozbahani took bronze.

Oluwafemiayo was competing in her fifth World Championships, having previously won gold in Mexico City (2017), Nur-Sultan (2019), Tbilisi (2021), and now Cairo (2025). Her victory is particularly significant as this edition marks the first time the World Para Powerlifting Championships have been hosted in Africa.

Oluwafemiayo’s journey in para powerlifting began in 2010, where she earned a silver medal at the London 2012 Paralympics in the women’s -75 kg category while pregnant. Her career faced setbacks, including a two-year suspension in 2013 and another break before the Rio 2016 Games due to pregnancy.

Her record-breaking lift in Cairo not only asserts her dominance on the global sport stage but also inspires a new generation of para powerlifters.