Nigeria Weightlifer Rafiatu Lawal, has committed to do her best to protect her country when she competes in the Women’s 59kg category in the Paris Olympics.

Nigeria’s Weightlifters will begin their quest for medals at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Thursday, August 8th, 2024, when Lawal competes in the Women’s 59kg weight class at the South Paris Arena within the Paris Expo Complex.

Rafiatu was chosen to represent Nigeria in Paris after qualifying and earning the necessary points in the Championships she attended, and as she makes her Olympic debut, she carries the hopes and dreams of other Nigerians who expect her to perform well in Paris.

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Lawal, a 27-year-old lifter, won the African Games in Morocco and Ghana in 2019 and 2023, respectively, and was also the Commonwealth Games winner in Birmingham in 2022.

According to her, she is in high spirits and has been tasked with ensuring that Nigeria ranks among the best in the Women’s 59kg category when the results are released on Thursday.

“I have prepared very well for this and am eager to give my best in Paris, France.

The Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, under the able leadership of Dr Ibrahim Abdul, started a good job camping us before the Ministry of Sports took over,r, and it is my wish to do my best in the competition.

“It is my Olympic Games debut but I am not greenhorn because I have taken part in many competitions that have equipped me for moments like this.

” I am going to the competition with the high hopes of giving my all to defend my fatherland.”

The Weightlifter will compete against the defending Olympic champion in the weight class, 30-year-old Chinese Taipei’s Chun Hsing Kuo. Kuo also earned a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Shifang Luo of China, who is only 23 years old and holds the current World Record in the weight class with a lift of 248kg, is another tough challenger against the Nigerian.

She is making her Olympic debut and has shown great promise, while Charron Maude of Canada, a 2021 Olympic Games Gold champion in the Women’s 64kg, is another lifter to keep an eye on.

Others competing against Lawal include Ann Elreen Ando (Philippines), Anyelin Venegas (Venezuela), Lucrezia Magistris (Italy), Yenny Alvarez (Colombia), Mathlynn Sasser (Marshall Islands), Kamila Konotop (Ukraine), Dora Tchakoute (France), and Valdivia Gomez from Mexico.