Rafiat Lawal has dedicated her weightlifting gold medals to Nigerians, adding the overwhelming support she got was the tonic as she snatched victory in the women’s 59 kg event.
Lawal threw the weightlifting arena into frenzy after she set a new competition in the snatch as well as clean and jerk of the women’s 59kg at the ongoing 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“I am so excited about winning the gold at the Commonwealth Games because I never expected it but I believe my training paid off with the result,” an elated Lawal told NationSport. “I dedicate this medal to Nigerians for their support and I hope to add the Olympic gold medal to this. I must also commend the support of my teammates.”
Incidentally, captain of the weightlifting team Adijat Olarinoye had earlier set another competition record in the women’s 55kg to claim Nigeria’s first gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
But Lawal beat all other competitors in the snatch after lifting 90kg to set a new competition record.
She returned to the stage to set another record in the clean and jerk when she lifted 116kg to set another record to the admiration of the fans.
“I think this is a result of good training that the team had before the games. I look forward to more medals in the next two days of the competition,” President of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), Abdul Ibrahim, noted.
