The Ghana Weightlifting Federation (GWF) advanced athletes to the Accra Sports Stadium in ‘intense’ weightlifting trials that saw many national records fall.
More than a dozen athletes competed in the one-day event. This was a meet to and for the future of weightlifting, with several juniors and seniors taking part in snatch, clean and jerk for both men and women.
In the junior boys category, Paul Agama- with a total 163kg, set a new national record in the clean and jerk with a weight of 93kg that was heavier than that of his previous lift which had been 92kg.
A new junior student, senior class female “Sandra Owusu Mensimah” broke the record for the clean and jerk, at 91 kg and 164kg total weight.
Etisan Abubakar, a heavyweight athlete in the 87kg division, has been recognized by National Chief Coach Michael Abotsie.
In the male youth category, Eric Yaw Opare in the 55kg class, made a new record lift of 112kg; Eric Malibe in same category made away with a new record of 152kg with 66 snatch – and was described as a potential silver medalist in the forthcoming Accra 2023 African Games.
Eight-year-old Blessing Allotey showed a lot of promise and was applauded all present.
Emmanuel Allotey, who weights 67kg, had a clean and jerk record of 130kg combined with 120kg as his previous best and total of 227 kg. He also dazzled by passing his previous snatch of 92kg to 97kg.
Abdul Salim set a new record 96kg at the clean and jerk, and also 122kg in the snatch. This is the first time Abdul has broken through 200kilo mark in his career, earning him a new total of 274kg.
Leticia Zormelo, a young lifter in the category of female youth, had an impressive run with her new record of 70kg in the clean and jerk.
An African male, Clement Korto, who has the potential to earn a medal in the 81kg class of the 2019 African Games, lifted a total of 274 kg and smashed his own record by snatching and landing an impressive 184 kg in the clean and jerk.
Other athletes – Slyvanus Kugblenu and Chidi Abotsi, who took part in the trials, impressed.
Trials were held in preparation for competitions in Cairo, Egypt, as well as qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. These qualifying events will help determine which athletes qualify for the Olympics and Paralympics Games.
Coach Abotsie of the Timsb Sports said that the trials would help him find new athletes for the African Games, as well as prepare them for the hard times ahead.
“We will recruit new athletes and blend them with the foreign-based ones for the Accra Games in Ghana. Also, I want to build a medal-winning team for the Columbia Championship in December and have a formidable team for the Olympics in 2024,” he said.
He has said that Winifred Ntumi, who represented Ghana in the Birmingham Games, was not feeling well and will join the team when she recovers from her illness. Talented new-comer Fofana Muslihudeen, who has been with the team for barely two months, has just rejoined the team after recovering from an injury.
