Olympics: Nigeria’s lone weightlifter hopeful of medal

Four years ago, Nigeria featured in the weightlifting event of the London 2012 Olympic Games with two weightlifters and returned no laurel.

The same was the case after the weightlifters outing at Being 2008 Olympics where Nigeria won only four medals overall but none in weightlifting.

The weightlifters, Maryam Usman (+75Kg) and Felix Ekpo (77Kg), however, did their best but could not reach the medals round.

With two days to the start of the 2016 edition of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nigeria’s only representative in weightlifting, Maryam Usman, 26, is upbeat that this time, she will win a medal.

Nigeria will be represented by only Usman in Rio because she is the only weightlifter that amassed the necessary points to qualify for the Games.

The development has easily shown the country’s shoddy preparations for international events.

It exposed the situation where the nation failed to participate in the many qualifiers where the athletes could have secured the vital points to berth at the Olympics.

But apparently undaunted, Usman says that the poor preparation for the Rio Olympics is now “a challenge that will spur me to clinch a medal for the nation’’.

She told NAN on Tuesday that she has been training on her own and didn’t rely on programmes conducted at the national camp.

The lifter, who will be making her third Olympic appearance, said she had the ability and confidence to register her name on the Games’ medals log.

“The preparation is nothing to talk about; but I am not discouraged, rather I’m taking it up as a challenge to increase the tempo of my training outside the national camp.

“We have been in camp for the past two months training seriously, this will enable me to win a medal this time around and I know that almighty God will support my effort.

“I was in Beijing and London Olympics in 2008 and 2012 respectively, but couldn’t win any medal.

“However, this is another opportunity for me and I must make the difference this time.

“Thank God for exposure at previous Olympics, continental championships and series of trials that has helped me to garner the basic points that earned me this Olympic ticket,’’ she said.

George Aluo, the Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), told NAN that Usman, qualified for the Games after her brilliant performances at the trials in Yaoundé, Cameroun in May.

“Usman is the only one for weightlifting event in Rio; she did excellently well at the qualifiers which saw her through and she was able to secure the Olympic ticket,’’ he said.

Aluo, who expressed confidence that the Olympian would make the nation proud, said that travelling arrangements had been concluded for Usman and the NWF national Coach, Cosmos Samson to be at the Games.

The duo departed the country on Monday.

A former national Coach, Andrew Ekanem, says Usman is a medal prospect, adding: “She has done it at major continental competitions and will repeat the feat in Rio.

“Her participation in these continental competitions and former appearances in the Olympics has enhanced her skills.

“Being the only Nigerian athlete for weightlifting event of the Games, she would want to make a mark because she is conscious of the fact that her fans are watching’’.

Ekanem, who led the country’s weightlifting team to the 2015 Africa Games in Brazaville, said that Nigeria would have had more representatives at the Games if not for inadequate fund and poor planning.

He advised sports authorities to ensure that athletes participated in as many international championships to be ready for the next Olympics.

NAN report that Usman had in 2007 won silver medal at All Africa Games (AAG) in Algeria, and won gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, Scotland.

The two-time Olympian won gold at the 2015 Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo, while she has yet to clinch a medal after two outings at the Olympic Games.