Australian weightlifting star Eileen Cikamatana has done it again, winning her third Commonwealth Games gold medal.

Cikamatana nailed a 108kg snatch and a 140kg clean and jerk for a Games record total of 248kg to win the women’s 86kg event in Glasgow.

England’s silver medallist Madias Ngake threatened to pull off an upset after setting a Games snatch record of 111kg, but fell short of setting a clean-and-jerk benchmark of 135kg.

As Cikamatana went better for the record, Ngake settled for a 128kg clean and jerk and lifted a total of 239kg.

Canadian teenager Rose Beaudoin lifted 230kg – a 103kg snatch and 127kg in the clean and jerk – to take bronze.

It was Cikamatana’s title to lose on Thursday morning (AEST), having been the clear frontrunner with an entry total of 250kg – nearly 20 more than next-best Ngake.

Cikamatana is the third female weightlifter in history to achieve the Commonwealth Games feat of three titles in a row, joining India’s Mirabai Chanu (women’s 48kg) and Canadian weightlifter Maude Charron (63kg) after they also won gold in Glasgow.

The 26-year-old is a dominant force in the sport, having memorably been in tears after narrowly missing out on a bronze medal when she finished fourth on Olympic debut at Paris 2024.

Cikamatana has dominated her weightlifting categories since winning gold for Fiji in the 90kg event at the 2018 Gold Coast Games.

Cikamatana then switched allegiance to Australia the following year due to a local dispute with Fiji’s weightlifting governing body, and to keep working with coach Paul Coffa.

Taking out the 87kg title at the 2022 Birmingham edition, Cikamatana is also the first woman to win Commonwealth Games gold for two countries in an individual sport.

She wins Australia’s third weightlifting medal in Glasgow, with youngster Ollie Saxton emulating his father and four-time Games medallist Andrew by winning bronze in the men’s 94kg event earlier on day six of the Games.