Weightlifting: African championships and continental qualifiers for Olympics-Incomplete team costs Seychelles Olympics spot |09 April 2012

She was speaking shortly after her return from Kenya on Thursday, where she took part in the African Weightlifting Championship which also served as continental qualifiers for the forthcoming Olympic Games in London. Three other local weightlifters – Terrence Dixie (85kg), Ian Rose (69kg) and Ruby Malvina (58kg) – also took part in the competition.

Competing in the 69kg category at the City Hall in Nairobi, Georges won two gold medals in the snatch event with 94kg and Olympic total with 208kg. She also clean & jerked 114kg for a silver medal.

Nigeria’s Oluwatoyin Adesanmi was second overall with an Olympic total of 205kg after lifting 90kg in snatch and 115kg in clean & jerk. Andesanmi’s 115kg clean & jerk effort earned her the gold medal.

Georges and the rest of the Seychelles team were welcomed by Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Minister Vincent Meriton, community development and sports principal secretary Denis Rose, National Sports Council chief executive Alain Volcère and Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association president Antonio Gopal.

Although Georges won two gold medals at the championships, no Seychellois lifter has qualified for the London Olympics as Seychelles did not line up full teams of six male lifters and four females.

Georges said she knew the competition would be tough as it also served as an Olympic qualifier and with the other teams like Nigeria coming with full teams.

She said Malvina’s performance and hers were good, but with an extra athlete in the calibre of Katsia Télémaque they would have easily qualified.

With the Nigerians looking for a spot at the London Olympics and dominating all the categories from 48kg to 63kg, Georges said the only thing that came to her mind was to clinch at least a gold medal for Seychelles.
She said she is satisfied with her performance although it could have been better had she not failed her second clean & jerk attempt at 114kg.

“However, I still have a chance to qualify for the Olympics when I compete at the 2012 Oceania Championships in Samoa, but it will very tough as I will have to compete individually. It will all depend on how I am able to combine work and training, she added.

The 2012 Oceania Championships – Continental Olympic Qualification Event & Commonwealth Championships – will be held in Apia, Samoa is from June 4-9, 2012.

In Nairobi, Ruby Malvina competed in the 58kg category and finished fourth overall with an Olympic total of 168kg (73kg in snatch and 95kg in clean & jerk).

Ian Rose finished 10th in the men’s 69kg group with an Olympic total of 240kg (105kg in snatch and 135kg in clean & jerk).

Terrence Dixie was ranked eighth overall in the 85kg category. He snatched 122kg and lifted 147kg in the clean & jerk for an Olympic total of 269kg.

R. D.