African Weightlifting Championship

Medals in abundance for Agricole and Matatiken 

SEYCHELLOIS weightlifters are showing their intentions of gaining qualification for the forthcoming Athens Olympic Games with nine medals – three gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze – through two female lifters on the first two days of the ongoing African Weightlifting Championship.

During the championship (from May 1 to 7 in Tunis, Tunisia), which is serving as an Olympic Games qualifier and is the last chance for local lifters to book their places for the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece, from August 13 to 29, Julie Matatiken and Clementina Agricole proved their mettle to lift more than their weights to finish amongst the medals.

Competing in the 58-kg division, 14-year-old Agricole, winner of a gold medal at the Sixth Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) in Mauritius last year, grabbed three gold medals in the snatch, clean and jerk as well as Olympic total in the junior category.

Agricole's performances earned her three more medals – two silver and a bronze – in the senior category.

AGRICOLE ... hat-trick of gold medals in the junior 58-kg division as well as winner of two silver and a bronze in the senior category

Triple IOIG gold medallist Matatiken was third overall in the 48-kg division for a bronze medal in the Olympic total after clinching a silver in the snatch event and a bronze in the clean and jerk.

MATATIKEN ... winner of a silver and two bronze in the senior 48-kg division

Former Sportslady of the Year Janet Thélermont, who enjoyed a fantastic season last year with a hat-trick of gold medals at the IOIG, three silver medals at the Eighth All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria; and a silver medal at the First Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad, India, is expected on to the platform today.

As for the country's only two male representatives – Richard Scheer ad Elvis Baccus – they are expected to lift the barbells tomorrow.

France-based Scheer won three gold medals in the -85-kg category at the IOIG as well as a silver and a bronze at the Eighth All-Africa Games in Abuja last year.

As for  Sportsman of the Year Baccus (-94-k), he also won three gold medals at last year's IOIG and a silver at the All-Africa Games.

Accompanied by coach William Dixie, the country's best lifters followed a three-week  intensive training programme in South Africa in preparation for the continental qualifier in Tunisia.

The African Weightlifting Championship will qualify eight lifters – five men and three women – for the Olympic Games according to positions achieved in overall team classification.

In the men's competition, the gold medal-winning team will qualify two athletes, while teams finishing second, third and fourth will be sending one athlete each to Athens.

As for the women's competition, teams finishing in first, second and third places will  send an athlete each to the Olympics.

Another eight individual places will be allocated to male competitors based on the Olympic qualification list to be established by May 31. These places will be allocated to athletes ranked in the top 15 in each body weight category from a national olympic committee which has not gained any qualification places though the world championship or continental qualification events.

The same will apply for female lifters, but only seven ranked in the top 10 will qualify.

Ten invitation places for six men and four women will be decided by a tripartite commission made up of representatives of the International Olympic Committee, the International Weightlifting Federation and the Association of National Olympic Committees.

The commission will identify a priority list of invitation applications and will confirm invitation places by May 31 following the completion of the qualification process.

A total of 170 male from eight weight categories – 56-kg, 62-kg, 69-kg, 77-kg, 85-kg, 94-kg, 105-kg and +105-kg – and 90 female lifters from seven weight categories – 48-kg, 53-kg, 58-kg, 63-kg, 69-kg, 75-kg and +75-kg – worldwide will participate in the Olympics.

G. G.