The Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF) President, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, has commended the impressive performances of weightlifters Rafiatu Folashade Lawal and Joy Ogbonne Eze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Despite narrowly missing medals, their efforts were praiseworthy, with Lawal finishing 5th overall in the women’s 59kg category and Eze ending her campaign 7th overall in her debut Olympic Games.
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Lawal, the 2023 Africa Games champion, lifted a combined 230kg, just 11kg away from the gold medalist, Luo Shifang of China. Eze, the 2019 and 2023 Africa Games champion, lifted a total of 231kg but fell short of the medals zone. Their performances demonstrated the potential of Nigerian weightlifters on the global stage.
Dr. Abdul praised the lifters’ effort and resilience, emphasizing the need for better preparations and more exposure to international competitions to excel in the sport. “The Olympics may not have gone as we dreamed, but I commend our weightlifters for their commendable outing,” he said. “We have learned that we need to prepare better and expose our lifters to more international competitions to compete with the best.”
He also thanked President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the Sports Ministry, and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) for their support, which enabled the weightlifters to participate in the Games.
The NWF will conduct a postmortem of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to proffer a way forward for upcoming competitions, aiming to build on the potential showcased by Lawal and Eze.
The performances of Lawal and Eze have raised hopes for the future of weightlifting in Nigeria. With proper support and training, they have the potential to win medals at future international competitions. The NWF is committed to developing the sport and providing opportunities for weightlifters to excel.
In conclusion, the impressive performances of Rafiatu Folashade Lawal and Joy Ogbonne Eze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games demonstrate the potential of Nigerian weightlifters. With better preparations and more exposure to international competitions, they can achieve greater success in the future.
 President, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, has commended the impressive performances of weightlifters){kind=link}