By Amaechi Agbo

Since the emergence of Dr Abdul Ibrahim as President of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, NWF late last year, the sport have been growing in leaps and bounds as athletes keep churning out medals since International Weightlifting Federation, IWF Championship in December last year.

With 9 medals won at that event, Nigerian lifters have continued to make immense in-road with two more gold medals clinched at the Mauritius International Weightlifting Open Championship 2022 held in February.

The championship served as the final qualifier for the 2022 Commonwealth Games slated for Bermignham, England in July.

Islamiyat Adebukdu Yusuf and Osijo Taiwo Mary won both gold medals in their respective women’s categories.

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Competing in the 64kg women category on 26th February, Islamiyat won gold with a total lift of 211kg in the snatch and jerk.

The following day, Mary, competing in the 87kg women category, made it a second gold for team Nigeria.with a total lift of 213kg in the snatch and jerk.

Islamiyat also won the best female lifter of the Championship while Team Nigeria won 3rd best women’s team at the competition.

With these feats achieved, both lifters have qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games which will hold in July this year in Birmingham, England.

A total of three delegates from the NWF comprising coach, Chris Nwadeih who is also the Technical Director of the Federation and the two lifters represented Nigeria at 5-day championship held from 24-28 February, 2022.

The delegate returned to Nigeria on the 2nd of March, 2022