Paris 2024 Olympics: Nigeria’s Weightlifter, Rafiatu Lawal hopeful of medal in Paris

Posted : 26 July 2024

One of Nigeria’s weightlifters for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Rafiatu Lawal, remains confident of finishing on the podium despite facing the rest of the world at the quadrennial event for the first time.

Team Nigeria women’s weightlifter, Lawal, assured the country that they would be putting up their very best in their maiden appearance at the Olympic Games as Paris 2024 gets underway in France.

The weightlifter said she's eager to join the list of Olympians who have won Olympic Games medals in the past for Nigeria. Nigeria has won only two medals in weightlifting since the start of its participation in the four-year competition in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952.

Ruth Ogbeifo won Nigeria’s first-ever weightlifting medal in the year 2000 at Sydney, Australia, a silver medal in the 75kg category, while Mariam Usman, a four-time African Champion, bagged the second medal for Nigeria, a bronze medal in the +75kg category at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China.

Lawal, who has ruled Africa and the Commonwealth Games in successive competitions, booked a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France in the 59kg category, while Eze is also through to the Olympics in the 71kg category, having also dominated Africa in her weight class.

Lawal lifted a combined total of 227kg, with a snatch of 101kg and 126kg in Clean and Jerk at the 2024 IWF World Championship in Thailand, setting a new African record in the women’s 59kg and securing her Olympics ticket.

The Commonwealth Games Champion said she was thrilled to be on the plane to Germany to continue her preparation for the Olympics, promising to put all distractions aside and remain fully focused on the assignment at hand. She also expressed satisfaction with her training tours, having trained for over two months in Nigeria, and added that the trip would boost her performance at the Olympics.

Having conquered at the African Games, Senior Weightlifting Championships, and Commonwealth Games, the African Champion believes she can be one of the most successful weightlifters to come out of Africa if she can add an Olympic medal to her haul.

“I am super excited to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games; I have never felt this happy in my life since I started competing. It is also a thing of joy to set another African record en route to the Olympic Games,” Lawal told NWF Media.

“I had previously said that the most important thing to compete well at this level was proper funding and adequate preparations.

"I can boldly say that I have had the best build-up in Nigeria. We were in camp courtesy of our hardworking President of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, for almost two months before the Ministry of Sports took over the athletes' preparations.

“I am delighted to be on the training tour in Germany, and this will help me to hit form before the start of the Olympic Games.

“My motivating factor is from my childhood. I have always had it in mind that I want to become one of the most successful sports personalities in Africa when I grow up. I am happy the coast is becoming clearer."

She applauded Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, for his constant support while calling on those administering sports in the country to give maximum attention to many medal-producing sports, including weightlifting, since a weightlifter can win as many as three medals in a weight class.

The African Games triple gold medallist continued: “I want to thank the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, for his efforts in transforming sports in the state. He has focused on other sports and is trying his best to give us a sense of belonging.

“We need more recognition and support from the Nigerian Government. President Bola Tinubu needs to give 100 per cent attention to other sports, which always dominate medals when it comes to competition time.”

Lawal applauded the relentless spirit of the President of NWF, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, for ensuring she attended all the Olympic Qualifiers from which she earned her ticket.

She said: “My message to the weightlifting family: I appreciate everyone that supports me in one way or another, especially the President of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul.

“At the beginning of the Olympic qualification, he said he would try his possible best to make sure weightlifting qualifies for the Paris Olympic Games because we did not feature at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

"In most cases, the President funds our various international championships with the support of other board members. I want to thank them all for ensuring my dream becomes a reality.”

Lawal set a Games record of 206kg from her snatch and clean and jerk lifts at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the women’s 59kg weightlifting. She has already conquered the continent by picking 59kg gold at the 2019 African Games in Morocco, the 2021 African Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, and the 2023 African Games in Ghana.

Paris 2024 Olympics: Nigeria’s Weightlifter, Rafiatu Lawal hopeful of medal in Paris

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