African Games Triple Gold Medalist Edidiong Umoafia: Paris Olympics on my mind
African Games triple gold medalist, Edidiong Umoafia, is not in any way surprised by the feat he achieved in Ghana. He said though he was competing for the first time at Africa’s biggest games, he had worked hard to achieve a good result.
“I work hard to win those medals. It did not just happen,” the 222-year-old lifter said.
Umoafia delivered a dominant performance to claim three gold medals.
Competing for the first time in the Men’s 67kg category, he swept the podium by winning gold in all three disciplines: snatch, clean & jerk, and total.
He recorded a 135kg lift in the snatch and a 165kg lift in the clean and jerk, for a combined total of 300kg.
This remarkable achievement secured a triple gold medal for Team Nigeria in the event, where it secured the highest number of gold medals at the 13th edition of the games.
Team Nigeria finished second overall on the medals table behind Egypt. Nigeria raked in 47 gold, 33 silver, and 40 bronze medals across 25 sports, while weightlifting produced Nigeria’s highest medal haul with 32 medals; 16 gold, 10 silver, and six bronze medals.
HARD WORK
Umoafia said he was confident that he would do well in Accra. “I’ve been preparing for the games and keeping myself in shape too. I was among the Nigerian team to Egypt for the 2024 African Senior Weightlifting Championship, where we also did well.”
He noted that the Egypt outing contributed to his good placing in Ghana. Umoafia won two silver medals in the men’s 73kg.
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“That was an eye-opener for me and I was looking forward to improving on this by winning gold medals at my first African Games.”
He added, “Ghana was my first African Games, and winning gold medals was a huge success for me. I worked hard and gave all within me to make sure I qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. I have worked hard to be where I am.
“The silver medal at the African Championship was not my best performance, but I’m satisfied with the result and the win. Sometimes at the beginning of the year, it’s not easy to keep motivated, but I also try to remind myself about why I am doing this.”
“The African Championship was tougher than what I experienced in Ghana.”
There, Umoafia set a new national record in the men’s 73kg after lifting 144kg in the snatch event, 170kg in the clean and jerk as well as 314 in the total.
The Akwa Ibom weightlifter said he will put extra effort at the last round of the Olympic Qualifiers at the 2024 World Weightlifting Cup in Thailand in May.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Umoafia is not also new to big occasions. He was a member of Team Nigeria at the last Commonwealth Games in the United Kingdom (UK), where he picked his first international medal.
It is recalled that the 22-year-old won Nigeria’s first medal bronze- on a day another weightlifter, Rafiatu Lawal, hit the headline by breaking the games’ record thrice.
Umoafia won bronze on 290kg in the men’s 67 kg event.
He previously participated at the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships and was awarded the silver medal in the men’s 67 kg event.
Meanwhile, Lawal broke three Commonwealth Games records as she powered to Birmingham 2022 glory in the women’s 59-kilogram weightlifting.
The African Games and Commonwealth Championships gold medallist Lawal lifted records in the snatch and clean and jerk – 90kg and 116kg respectively.
That added up to a total record of 206kg as she claimed a clear and comprehensive victory.
All the other lifters had finished the snatch before Lawal had even made an attempt, and she went straight in with her record before failing twice.
In the clean and jerk, she had the luxury of two lifts with gold already assured, hoisting up both 115kg and then adding an extra kilogram to extend the record.
Though Umoafia’s place in history is assured as the African Games in Accra, Ghana, has established him as a household name in weightlifting, he said he is not about to rest on his oars.
PARIS OLYMPICS
“I have my eyes on the Olympics in Paris. It is the biggest game in the world and I’m looking forward to it.”
But, first, he has to qualify for the Olympics like his colleagues Lawal and Adijat Olarinoye, who all proved their worth at the African Championship in Ismaila and the just concluded games in Accra.
Their attempt to cut in Egypt did not work out.
Egypt’s biggest gain in the rankings was made by Karim Abokahla at 89kg, where his 170-211-381 took him ahead of Italy’s Tokyo medallist Nino Pizzolato into sixth place.
Other Paris-bound Egyptian winners were Neama Said and Halima Abbas. Said, sixth in the 71kg list, moved up to 76kg where she made 100-130-230, and Abbas took the super-heavyweights on 117-145-262.
Though, Lawal and Aderinoye, won two of the women’s Olympic categories but made no gains in the lists and will need improvement at the IWF World Cup in Thailand, which brings the qualifying programme to a close when it ends on April 11.
Lawal and Olarinoye who finished first and second at 59kg, were both well down on their best qualifying efforts. Lawal made 95-119-214 and Olarinoye 94-115-209 with only two good lifts.
Umoafia and his colleagues will have to join hundreds of weightlifters from around the world that be going all-out to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
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