May 16, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s weightlifting team made a remarkable start on Monday, at the ongoing 2023 Senior Africa Weightlifting Championship in Tunisia, positioning themselves for the 2024 Olympic Games qualification.
Amaechi Agbo, Media Officer of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, stressed this point when he said that this championship serves as a vital opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Olympics. Lawal Rufiatu and Olarinoye Adenike Adijat led the charge, securing three gold and three silver medals respectively.
Rufiatu dominated the 59kg women’s category, clinching gold medals in the Snatch, Clean and Jerk, and Total events. Her impressive lifts included 95kg in snatch, 122kg in Clean & Jerk, and a total of 217kg. Adijat, competing in the same category, claimed all three silver medals with lifts of 93kg in snatch, 118kg in Clean & Jerk, and a total of 211kg. Notably, Olarinoye transitioned from the 55kg category to 59kg in late 2022, and her consistent performances in the new category have been commendable.
The Nigerian weightlifting team will continue their pursuit of more medals on Tuesday, May 16, as Joy Eze (71kg women) and Edidiong Umofia (73kg men) take the stage. Akano Desmond (89kg men) will wrap up Nigeria’s participation in the championship on Wednesday, May 17.
With their eyes set on the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Nigeria’s weightlifters aim to reestablish the nation’s presence on the global weightlifting scene. The 2023 Africa Weightlifting Championship, which began on May 11, will run until May 19, offering several opportunities for Nigerian athletes to shine.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
