Nigeria’s Alice Oluwafemiayo on Sunday broke the women’s +86kg world record at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Mexico.
Oluwafemiayo won after lifting 140kg in her first three attempts. In her fourth attempt, she broke the earlier world record in the category – set by her compatriot Loveline Obiji in 2014 – by lifting 145kg.
Nigeria have thus won their first medal at the competition. The team have 11 powerlifters in Mexico.
Obiji did not compete in the event. China’s Feifei Zheng (130kg) claimed silver at her first major international competition, while Egypt´s 2010 world champion Geehan Hassan (125kg) completed the podium finish.
“I feel very happy, it was not something I was expecting,” Oluwafemiayo was quoted as saying by paralympic.org.
Other Nigerians will be in action today in other categories.
National coach, Feyisetan Are, said the lifters would win more medals at the competition.
“I believe that Nigeria are the best in powerlifting in the world. The first event of the competition and we have a world record already broken. Nigerians should expect more from the lifters in Mexico because they are capable of doing so,” he told our correspondent.”
|Punch