Nigeria’s Rafiatu Lawal poised for Olympic challenge in Paris
Nigeria’s weightlifting star Rafiatu Lawal is set to make her mark at the Paris 2024 Olympics, promising to deliver her best performance in the Women’s 59kg category.
The competition begins on Thursday, August 8th, 2024, at the South Paris Arena within the Paris Expo Complex.
Lawal earned her spot in Paris by accumulating the necessary points from various championships. As she makes her Olympic debut, she carries the hopes and expectations of Nigerians who are eager to see her excel.
The 27-year-old lifter has a distinguished record, having won the African Championship twice at the African Games in 2019 and 2023, held in Morocco and Ghana, respectively. She also claimed the Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham in 2022.
Expressing her readiness, Lawal said, “I have prepared very well for this and am eager to give my best in Paris. The Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, under the leadership of Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, did an excellent job in preparing us before the Ministry of Sports took over. I wish to do my best in the competition.”
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Despite this being her Olympic debut, Lawal is confident, drawing on her extensive competition experience. “I am going to the competition with high hopes of giving my all to defend my fatherland,” she added.
Lawal will face tough competition, including the reigning Olympic champion in her weight class, 30-year-old Chun Hsing Kuo from Chinese Taipei, who also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Another formidable competitor is Shifang Luo of China, the current World Record Holder in the weight class with a lift of 248kg, and making her Olympic debut with high expectations.
Other strong contenders include Charron Maude of Canada, the 2021 Olympic Games Gold medallist in the Women’s 64kg category; Ann Elreen Ando from the Philippines; Anyelin Venegas of Venezuela; Lucrezia Magistris from Italy; Yenny Alvarez of Colombia; Mathlynn Sasser from the Marshall Islands; Kamila Konotop of Ukraine; Dora Tchakoute from France; and Valdivia Gomez from Mexico.
