International Weightlifting Open: Nigeria grabs gold medals in Mauritius
Nigeria’s Weightlifters continued their steady progress in recent competitions after the duo of Islamiyat Yusuf and Taiwo Mary Osijo won gold medals at the recently held Mauritius International Weightlifting Open 2022.
The two weightlifters had camped for several weeks to prepare for the championships sanctioned by the International Weightlifting Federation and meant to increase the slots of Nigeria at the forthcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Nigeria Weightlifting Federation led by Dr. Ibrahim Abdul with technical support from the Ministry of Sports oversaw their departure to Mauritius and the contingent led by the NWF Technical Director, Christopher Nwadei has returned as heroines from the journey.
Despite traveling to Mauritius with only two lifters Islamiyat Yusuf was adjudged the best female lifter of the competition with her 211kg lift in the 64kg while the women’s team came third in the championships.
With the feat recorded by Nigeria’s Weightlifters in Mauritius and at the last World Weightlifting Championships held in Uzbekistan last year, Nigeria will present nine weightlifters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games billed for Edinburgh, England later in the year.
They comprise seven women including Stella Kingsley (49 kg);Adijat Adenike Olarinoye(55 kg); Rafiatu Folashade Lawal (664 kg); Islamiyat Adebukola Yusuf ( 64 kg);Joy Ogbonne Eze (71 kg);Taiwo Liadi (76 kg); and Taiwo Mary Osijo (87 kg) as well as two men namely:Emmanuel Inemo Appah( 61 kg) and Edidiong Joseph Umoafia (67 kg).
Meanwhile, the NWF Technical Director Christopher Nwadei was full of excitement at the performance of Team Nigeria in Mauritius and Uzbekistan, affirming that all hands would be on deck for the lifters to do even more at the Commonwealth Games.
“This is a wake-up call. I am delighted with the performance of the lifters. I am not surprised actually because I have worked closely with them and with the preparation we had, I was convinced they would make Nigeria proud,” Nwadei said.
“We need to prepare very well for the Commonwealth Games as well if we are to perform impressively. We need the support of all to ensure the nine lifters have the best of preparations.”
The President, NWF, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul disclosed that his Federation with supportive board members will continue to lay the marker to ensure that weightlifters continue to get good representation and put Nigeria on the world map.
“We are all happy with their performance in Uzbekistan and now in Mauritius. The NWF will try its best to ensure they have a good preparation for the Commonwealth Games. We are appealing to Nigerians to support our quest to change the weightlifting narratives in the country,” Dr. Abdul said.
TheNation/Nnenna.O
