By Saheed Afolabi
The President, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, NWF, Dr Ibrahim Abdul, FCISM, OCP, CMC; has commended Nigeria weightlifters who won 12 medals at the just concluded 2023 Senior Africa Weightlifting Championship in Tunisia.
Five Nigeria athletes, Lawal Rufiatu, Olarinoye Adijat, Eze Joy Ogbonne, Edidiong Umoafia and Akano Desmond represented Nigeria at the championship which also served as the 2024 Olympic Games qualifier.
They competed in 59kg and 71kg women’s categories as well as 73kg and 89kg men’s categories.
They won a total of 12 medals made up of three gold, seven silver and two bronze medals to put Nigeria’s quest for the 2024 Olympic Games qualification on sound track
In a release signed by the Media Officer, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, Mr Amaechi Agbo, the President charged the weightlifters to buckle up ahead of more qualifiers.
“First and foremost, I want to commend the athletes for doing their best, considering the circumstances.
“As the president and someone who aim for the best, I wanted all of them to win gold medals in Tunisia. Nevertheless, I am proud of what they achieved.
“However, I urge them to buckle up. We have just started the race to Olympic Games qualification and there is a long way to go. They should remain active, sustain their training schedules and strictly follow them.
“As a federation, we will continue to provide, within our powers, all that are necessary for them to excel. We cannot afford to miss out on Olympics again after what happened in Tokyo Olympics qualifiers.
“I have no doubts in their abilities and I believe that once they remain focused, we will get there,” he said
Meanwhile, Nigeria ambassador to Tunisia, Amb. Asari Edem Allotey has charged the weightlifters to remain focused in their quest for 2024 Olympics tickets.
Amb. Allotey stated this on Thursday while hosting the Nigeria Weightlifting contingent in her house.
The Ambassador who expressed delight with the performances of the lifters, also cautioned them to make improvements if they must become Olympic medalists in Paris next year.
Nigeria weightlifters are expected to participate in five other weightlifting qualifying championships as they seek a return to Olympic Games medal podium in Paris next year.
The championships/Olympics qualifiers are:
1. IWF Grand Prix Havana, Cuba June 2-12, 2023
2. IWF World Championships Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -September 2-17, 2023
3. IWF Grand Prix Doha, Qatar December 1-17, 2023
4. African Championships February 25 March 02, 2024 (host to be confirmed)
5. IWF World Cup Phuket, Thailand April, 2024