Oyo State weightlifter, Ayodele Ruth, has been selected to join Team Nigeria’s weightlifting contingent and represent the country at the 2023 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The championship, which began on September 4 and will conclude on September 17, serves as a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
According to Mr. Amaechi Agbo, the media officer for the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), the team departed from MM IA to Riyadh on an Ethiopia Airline flight at 1.30 p.m. local time yesterday. Ayodele Ruth, who recently won two golds and one silver at the National Sports Festival Delta 2022 representing Oyo State, will compete in the women’s 64 kg category on September 10 at 2.30 p.m.
Nigeria had a successful outing at the 2023 Senior Africa Weightlifting Championship in Tunisia, where they secured 12 medals and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games. The weightlifters have been in training camp for the past two months and are confident in their ability to secure their qualification for the Paris Olympics in Riyadh.
The 2023 IWF Championship boasts a record entry of 117 countries and 719 lifters, with 365 men and 354 women participating. Nigeria’s weightlifters will compete in three championship qualifiers as they strive to put the country back on the global weightlifting map in the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, France.
Ayodele Ruth expressed her excitement and determination to represent Nigeria at the world championship. She said, “I am honored to be chosen to compete for my country on such a prestigious stage. I have been training hard and I am confident that I will perform well and secure our qualification for the Paris Olympics. I am proud to be a part of Team Nigeria and I am ready to give my all.”
The Nigeria Weightlifting Federation is hopeful that Ayodele Ruth and the rest of the weightlifting team will make the country proud and bring home more medals from the championship. The federation’s president, Mr. Mohammed Yahaya, said, “We have a talented group of weightlifters who have been putting in the work and showing great potential. We believe they have what it takes to excel at the world championship and secure our qualification for the Paris Olympics. We are fully behind them and will provide all the support they need.”
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