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One of the Nigeria’s flagbearers at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics, Rafiatu Lawal, will begin her hunt for Olympics’ medals in the women’s 59kg weightlifting class today at the South Paris Arena inside Paris Expo Complex.
The 27-year-old All African Games and Commonwealth Games medalist is one of Nigeria’s medal prospects in Paris and will be looking to boost the chances of adding to the country’s tally in her maiden appearance at the multi-sport event.
Rafiatu Lawal is certainly among the favourites for medals but that won’t come easy, contending with a strong field of 10 weightlifters from around the globe in the Women’s 59kg.
She will be up against reigning Olympic champion in the weight class, Chinese Taipel’s Chun Hsing Kuo. Kuo also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Shifang Luo of China who is the current world record holder in the weight class with a lift of 248kg is another strong competitor against the Nigerian. She’s making her Olympics debut and has come with so much promise while another Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games gold medallist in the women’s 64kg, Charron Maude of Canada is another lifter to be on the lookout for.
Others competitors against Lawal are Ann Elreen Ando (Philippines), Anyelin Venegas (Venezuela), Lucrezia Magistris (Italy), Yenny Alvarez (Colombia), Mathlynn Sasser (Marshall Islands), Kamila Konotop (Ukraine), Dora Tchakoute (France), and Mexican’s Valdivia Gomez.
