13th African Games: Nigeria's Joseph grabs three silver as Nigeria's Weightlifters finish African Games with a flourish

Posted : 15 March 2024

Team Nigeria finished second overall in the Weightlifting event of the ongoing 2023 African Games, behind Egypt (24 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze medals). Nigeria secured 16 gold, 10 silver, and 6 bronze medals.

Lucky Joseph (Men's +109kg) ended the event on a high note for Team Nigeria Weightlifters by grabbing three silver medals. He lifted 152kg in the snatch, 190kg in the clean and jerk, and a total of 342kg, increasing the country's medal haul to 32.

Joseph finished second to Egyptian Abdulrahman Mohamed Abdelrahman, who swept all three gold medals in the category.

Team Nigeria Weightlifters can return home with their heads held high, as nearly all 12 weightlifters won medals in their respective categories.

The women's weightlifting team even topped their category's medal table with 13 gold and 2 silver medals. The Egyptian women finished second with 11 gold, 3 silver, and 4 bronze medals.

Dr. Abdul Ibrahim, President of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance in Ghana, despite falling short of their goal to surpass the 2019 African Games results (16 gold, 16 silver, 18 bronze medals).

He stated that the team's focus now shifts to the final Olympic qualifiers, held at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, from March 31st to April 11th.

"I'm highly delighted with our athletes' performance at the African Games. We came determined to exceed our 2019 performance, and we came very close. Our weightlifters fought valiantly until the very end, and I'm incredibly proud of them," Dr. Ibrahim said.

"We won't rest on our laurels, knowing our ultimate goal is to have weightlifters compete at the Olympic Games. We only have one more tournament to achieve that, and everyone needs to work together to secure the resources for our athletes to compete in Thailand.

"We'll continue to call on corporations or individuals touched by our performances in all competitions to support us. We are confident that Nigeria will present weightlifters who will do the country proud at the Olympic Games.

"The weightlifting contingent will return home with minimal rest, as the IWF World Cup is just around the corner for athletes competing in Thailand."

Umuoafia Edidiong (Men's 73kg), Joy Ogbonne Eze (Women's 71kg), Rafiatu Lawal (Women's 59kg), and Adijat Olarinoye (Women's 59kg) are still in contention for Olympic Games tickets.

Nigeria's Weightlifting Medalists at the 2023 African Games

Adijat Olarinoye (Women's 55kg) - 3 Gold medals

Rafiatu Lawal (Women's 59kg) - 3 Gold medals

Ruth Ayodele (Women's 64kg) - 3 Gold medals

Joy Eze (Women's 71kg) - 3 Gold medals

Edidiong Umoafia (Men's 67kg) - 3 Gold medals

Mary Osijo (Women's 87kg) - 1 Gold, 2 Silver medals

Lucky Joseph (Men's +109kg) - 3 Silver medals

Favour Agboro (Men's 61kg) - 2 Silver, 1 Bronze medal

Desmond Akano (Men's 96kg) - 2 Silver, 1 Bronze medal

Abayomi Adeyemi (Men's 102kg) - 1 Silver, 2 Bronze medals

King Kalu (Men's 55kg) - 2 Bronze medals

13th African Games: Nigeria's Joseph grabs three silver as Nigeria's Weightlifters finish African Games with a flourish

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