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By Timothy Nwobodo

A contingent of four lifters and four officials from Nigeria have arrived Egypt on Saturday ahead of the 2024 Africa Senior Weightlifting Championship. The contingent departed Nigria on Saturday morning through the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.

In a release signed by the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, NWF Media Officer, Amaechi Agbo, noted that the championship which holds in the Egyptian city of Ismailla will commence today with opening ceremony and end on 11 February, also serves as Paris, 2024 Olympics Games qualifiers.

The lifters hoping to consolidate their Paris Games ticket push are made up of three women and a man

In 59kg women’s category, Rafiatu Folashade Lawal and Adijat Adenike Olarinoye will compete among other African Stars while Joy Ogbonne Eze will compete in 71kg women’s category

Umoafia Edidiong Joseph will compete in the 73kg men’s category.

The four officials with the athletes include three coaches – Janet Ali, Abdulsalam kayode, and Onubaye Sefiat, while Iquaibom Lawrence is a referee as well as the NWF Secretary, Melvina Ashinedu Apeh

Nigeria will begin her competition at the championship on Tuesday, 6th February when 2023 gold medalist Rafiatu Lawal and the silver medalist, Adijat Olarinoye will compete in the 59kg women’s category by 12noon local time, respectively.

Same day, Umoafia Edidiong will take part in the 73kg men’s category from 3pm

Joy Eze will conclude Nigeria’s participation in the championship on Wednesday, February 7, when she challenges the rest of Africa lifters in the 71kg women’s category by 10am.

It could be recalled that in the previous edition of the Championship held in Tunisia in May last year, Nigeria won 12 medals, comprising three gold, seven silver, and two bronze.

The Nigeria weightliers will participate in another Olympic Games qualifier next month when the International Weightlifting Federation, IWF World Cup holds from 31 March to 11 April, 2024 in Phuket, Thailand.

After the last qualifier the list of athletes who qualified for the 2024 Paris Games would be released through IWF World Rankings.