The
Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 runs from July 24th to August 9th 2020, with
Paralympic Games following August 25th to September 6. Eventually, more than 15
Gambian athletes are expected to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. With the
Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 fast approaching,
On
Saturday Gambia’s Para Power-lifter Modou Gamo was among top powerlifters from
across the world in search of a spot for the final qualifiers in Dubai in April
2020. Now let’s look back at a dramatic
final evening in the Nigerian, capital Abuja, which included no less than five
world records as the host Nigeria made a triumph in the first World Para
Powerlifting World Cup as they finished
the event in their capital Abuja on Saturday with a total of 28 senior
and 17 junior medals.
An
outstanding evening of action at the Abuja International Conference Centre came
to a close with home lifter Uhunoma Emwiobaiwi claiming gold in the top men’s
weight category of 107 kilograms and above. Silver and bronze medals went
respectively to Georgia’s Iago Gorgodze and Giorgi Latsabidze.Abdulazeez
Ibrahim added another gold to the home collection in winning the 97kg class
with an effort of 210kg. Egypt’s Mohamed Ahmed took silver after lifting the
same top weight, while Nigeria’s Adeniyi Omopekunola won bronze with a best of
160kg.Brazil also enjoyed a final night to remember as they took gold in the
men’s 107kg and 88kg classes. Up-to-107kg gold went to Mateus de Assis, with
Georgia’s AkakiJintcharadze taking silver and bronze going to home lifter
Daniel Omogbai. The 88kg category was won by Evanio da Silva with 196kg as home
lifter Mathias Monday took silver with 195kg and bronze went to Georgia’s Ahmad
Razm with 187kg. There were two more home gold in the women’s competition,
where current world champion Folashade Oluwafemiayo and London 2012 winner
Loveline Obiji won the under- and over-86kg classes respectively.
The
Gambia’s flavor on the final day was the participation of our top PowerLifter
Modou Gamo who break his personal best of 120kg and set a new record of 135kg
in the Up to 107kg categories. Big Papa as he is fondly called competed with
the World’s recorded holders in the junior and senior categories. The Sinchu
Baliya native got all his three attempts as he managed 3 clean pushes the +107
event and eventually booked a place in the final qualifiers for Para Powerlifting
qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 in Dubai.
