By Ameachi Agbo
Lawal Rafiatu Folashade has yet another gold medal for Nigeria at the International Weightlifting Federation, IWF World Championship in Uzbekistan.
Lawal on Saturday, competing in the 59kg category clinched the medal in the Commonwealth Championship as the IWF Championship also serves as the 2022 Bermignham Commonwealth Games qualifier.
She posed a lift of 207kh to emerge the best in the Commonwealth Championship which also qualifies her automatically for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Bermignham, England next year
The International Weightlifting Federation, IWF World Championship ongoing in Tashkent, Uzbekistan also serves as 2022 Commonwealth Games qualifier.
By this feat, Lawal has become the 3rd Nigerian weightlifter who have automatically qualified for the Games next year after winning gold at the IWF World Championship.
Lawal who won 3 silver at the 2019 Africa Games, 3 gold at the 2020 Solidarity Championship in Uzbekistan, is placed 6th in the IWF World Championship.
She joins her compatriots, Stella Kingsley and Olarinoye Adenike Adijat on the gold medal list while Edidiong Umoafia won silver on Friday.
Apart from winning three gold medals and a silver in the Commonwealth Championship, Nigeria has also won a sliver and two bronze medals in the IWF World Championship.
Speaking in an interview from their camp in Tashkent, Uzbekistan ahead of her competition on Saturday, Lawal said she had trained and prepared for the championship and would do her best to make her country proud
“I have trained very well for this competition. I will try my possible best for my country to have medals,” she said.
Speaking on the gold medal and Commonwealth Games qualification, President, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, NWF, Dr Ibrahim Abdul congratulated the lifter for doing the country and the federation proud.
The elated president who sent his message to Lawal and her co-lifters after her competition, commended her for joining her compatriots on the medals podium and stressed that the federation under his watch will not relent in supporting the athletes to excel.
“I am once again happy. It has been a successful IWF Championship by the feats our lifters in Uzbekistan have achieved.
“Stella Kingsley started the journey to this success and the lifters have remianed resolute and resilient.
“I congratulate Folashade Lawal on her record. I have said it before and I say it again that I have no doubt about what Nigerian weightlifters can achieve
“On our part as a federation, saddled with the responsibility of developing this game in the country, we will not relent in supporting our athletes to make sure that they excel anywhere,” he said.
Nigeria contingent currently has 7 medals in the competition – 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze.
Nigeria will continue are medal winning push on Monday when 13th December when Joy Ogbonne Ese competes in 71kg women category.
She will weigh in by 10am Uzbekistan time (2pm Nigeria time) while the competition in the category will commence by 4pm Nigeria time
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