Africa Senior Weightlifting C’ship: Nigeria Shows Dominance As Lawal, Adijat Win Six Medals In Egypt
By Amaechi Agbo
The duo of Nigerian weightlifters, Rafiatu Folashade Lawal and Adijat Adenike Olarinoye on Monday won six medals at the ongoing 2024 Africa Senior Weightlifting Championship in Egypt.
Competing in the 59kg women’s category, Lawal and Adijat dominated the category as they catered away the top prizes in on Day 1 of the Championship which also serves as Paris 2024 Olympics qualifier.
Lawal, gold medal winner in Tunisia last year, established her superiority in the category as she once again claimed all the available three gold medals.
She won the first gold in with a lift of 95kg in snatch, claimed another gold in clean and jerk with 119kg before winning her third gold medal in total with 214kg.
Adijat on her part, followed suit on her previous year’s outing as she claimed, once again, all the three silver medals with 94kg in snatch, 115kg in clean and jerk and 209kg in total.
Meanwhile, Edidiong Umoafia Joseph will seek to consolidate Nigeria’s quest for more medals and a place in Paris Olympics in July today as he competes in the 73kg men’s category by 12noon. Recall that he won a silver and two bronze medals at the Tunisia 2023 edition despite competing with injury
Nigeria’s participation in the championship will be rounded off on Wednesday when Joy Eze Ogbonne will compete in the 71kg women’s category.