Folashade Lawal To Represent Nigeria At Int’l Weightlifting Championship In Norway

Nigeria’s sole representative at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Championship in Forde, Norway, African Games and Commonwealth Games multiple gold medallist, Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, will depart the country for Scandinavia on Tuesday.

The competition will start from Thursday this week to 11th October, with Lawal aiming to boost her chances of qualifying for next year’s Commonwealth Games.

The Nigerian is expected to compete in the women’s 58 kg on October 4th, and her decision to leave about five days before her event is to enable her to train in Norway and also to get acclimatised to the weather.

The Oyo-born weightlifter represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she placed fifth in the women’s 59 kg division with a total lift of 230 kg.

Lawal has been training very hard in anticipation of the competition, and she told NWF Media that she’s doing all within her powers to finish on the podium and boost her chances of qualifying for the Commonwealth Games next year.

She said she’s thrilled with the spotlight on her and that she’s convinced she would give a good account of herself in Norway, notwithstanding the weather and other factors.

In 2019, she represented Nigeria at the African Games held in Rabat, Morocco, and she won the gold medal in the women’s 59 kg event.

Lawal won the gold medal in the women’s 59 kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England. She represented Nigeria at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

In March 2024, she won the gold medal in the women’s 59 kg event at the 2023 African Games held in Accra, Ghana.

In August 2024, she competed in the women’s 59 kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France. She finished in fifth place with 230 kg in total.