By Tunde Liadi

Nigeria’s second representative in the Weightlifting event, Joy Ogbonne Eze will have her Olympics moment of glory on Friday, August 9th at the South Paris Arena inside Paris Expo Complex in the Women’s 71kg at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Eze dazzled other weightlifters in her weight class at just 15 years to win the African Games Gold medal in 2019 in Morocco and at 20 years she has become twice African Champion and she’s also making her debut at the Olympic Games in Paris.

She got the opportunity to represent Nigeria in Paris 2024 Olympics after getting the needed ranking points to finish among the top 11 weightlifters in the world and the young athlete is waiting to explode in Paris.

The Nigeria’s representative will slug it out with 21 year old Junior World Record Holder in both the Snatch (115kg lift) and Clean & Jerk (147kg lift), Olivia Reeves of the United States and current World Record Holder in Snatch (121kg lift) in the weight class, 23 years old Angie Palacious Dajomes of Ecuador.

Others in the women’s 71kg that will compete with Eze are: Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games bronze medallist in the women’s 64kg, Huei Chen Wen (Chinese Taipel), Siuzanna Valodzka (Individual Neutral Athletes, AIN), Elena Loredana Toma (Romania), Marie Fegue (France), Leivis Mari Sanchez (Colombia), Neama Said (Egypt), Amanda Da Costa Schott (Brazil), and Jacqueline Nichele (Australia).

Eze in an interview with NWF Media said she knows what it is at stake and that she’s pump up for the weight class and poised to put all she has to it to ensure Nigeria comes top in the women’s 71kg on Friday.

She said it has always been her dream to go to the Olympics and that now that the dream has become a reality she’s eager to start her Olympics story impressively with a good display.

“I am so pleased to have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and having satisfied a personal wish, I am eager to do my best to ensure that I put my very best to work towards getting a medal,” Eze told NWF Media.

Also speaking the NWF President, Dr Ibrahim Abdul beckoned on Eze not to put herself under pressure but to focus on recalling the preparations she has had and tries to break barriers that could hinder her from performing well.

He said Nigerians are solidly behind her and that she should go and do her country proud.

“Joy is also a very good weightlifter who has shown over time that she can compete at the highest level. She has qualified for the Olympics and she can use the opportunity this presents to her to sell herself at world stage,” Dr Abdul stated.

“We are solidly behind her and are rooting for her to do the country proud on Friday.”