Powerlifters off to Brazil
KIMBERLEY powerlifter Ricardo Fitzpatrick’s dream of making it to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Paralympic Games qualifiers in Brazil will become a reality – thanks to the help of local fans and supporters – when he jets off to South America on Saturday morning
Fitzpatrick had launched a fundraising campaign in Kimberley sometime late last year, through which he appealed for financial assistance from the many institutions and fans to help support his quest of making it to at least two mandatory Paralympic qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Following Fitzpatrick’s appeal, the Flamingo Casino stepped in to help him with his fund-raising. Fitzpatrick said this week that since then, more locals, including some prominent institutions, had made significant pledges to help in his bid to qualify for Rio 2016.
Fitzpatrick confirmed that he and fellow Paralympian Chantal Stierman will set off on their journey to South America on Saturday at 11am from the Kimberley Airport.
He will primarily compete in the 80kg weight category, while Stierman is likely to take part in the under-55kg division.
Fitzpatrick said that he felt good about his physical progress thus far and just yesterday lifted 190kg in his local gym. This was well within the medal ranges for international Paralympic competitions.
Fitzpatrick has his sights firmly set on making a statement by setting a powerlifting record. He said that this was important in light of the achievements of Paralympian powerlifters from Nigeria and Egypt, who have dominated the international medal rankings in the sport for quite some time.
He, along with Stierman, is in the lucky position of opening this year’s world rankings for the sport.
Nigeria and Egypt lead the first Paralympic ranking competition in Africa with world bests by Nigerian lifters, who took eight golds and world records across four categories in Brazzaville, Congo last year in September at the first Paralympic ranking competition to take place in the region.
Nigerian Esther Oyema broke the up-to-55kg record three times on her way to gold, finishing with a 133kg flourish. The scoring system used to combine the weight classes saw her win with 139.32kg.
Egypt’s Fatma Omar also added to the up-to-61kg world record twice, settling on 141kg and ending on a factored 137.34kg to take silver. Nigeria’s Lucy Ejike (136.50kg) took bronze.
Then in the women’s combined up-to and over-86kg, Nigeria’s Loveline Obiji (125.83kg) took gold and a new up-to-86kg world record of 149kg. Obiji defeated Egypt’s world champion Randa Mahmoud (121.04kg).
The women’s over-86kg world champion Precious Orji (117.25kg) was third, having broken the world record twice on her way to the podium. Orji’s new mark is 164kg.
Nigeria’s Yakubu Adesokan claimed back the world record in the men’s up-to-49kg, with a 182.5kg third lift. The mark had been taken by Vietnam’s van Cong Le at the IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in July. Algeria’s Ahmed Hadj Biour (131kg) and Togo’s Alion Bawa (110kg) claimed silver and bronze respectively.
Bose Omalayo (137.5kg) increased her own world record in the women’s up-to-79kg. Having failed on a 136kg second lift, Omalayo went all out in the third and successfully added 0.5kg onto the previous mark to claim gold for Nigeria. Egypt’s Geehan Hassan (120kg) took silver and Libya’s Sahar El-Gnemi (90kg) the bronze.
Nigeria’s Olumide Kehinde set a new African record in the men’s upto-65kg, expertly building to a 214kg final lift. Egypt’s Shaaban Ibrahim (196kg) led Algeria’s Hocine Bettir (183kg) onto the podium.
In the combined women’s up-to67kg and up-to-73kg, Nigeria scored another gold and African record.
There was a new African record for Nigeria’s Latifat Tijani (98kg) in the women’s up-to-45kg, ahead of Egypt’s Zeinab Oteify (95kg). Algeria’s Samira Guerioua (82kg) sealed bronze with 82kg.
Egypt’s Sherif Othman broke the men’s up-to-59kg for the second time in 2015, lifting 210.5kg to increase his dominance in the category.Othman reigned supreme over Nigeria’s Anthony Ulonnam (190kg) and Cameroon’s Conrat Frederic Atangana (160kg). The win reinforces Othman’s reign as the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games edge closer.
Egypt’s reigning world champion Mohamed Elelfat exerted his own influence over the men’s up-to-72kg, taking gold with 212kg. Nigeria’s Nnamdi Innocent (200kg) collected silver whilst Benin took their one and only medal.
Egypt’s Metwaly Mathana (220kg) put in a strong showing in the men’s up-to-80kg, clearing Nigeria’s silver medallist Tolu-Lope Taiwo (192kg) by some margin. Cameroon’s Maurice Francis Biwole Nkodo (166kg) put in three good lifts to take the bronze.
There was a shock in the combined men’s up-to-97kg and 107kg. Egypt’s 2014 up-to-97kg World Championships silver medallist Mohamed Eldib (204.57kg) beat Nigerian world champion Abdulazeez Ibrahim (194.68kg) to gold. Egypt’s Mohamed Elsayed (191.21kg) completed the podium.