African Weightlifting Championship 2016 - Agricole lifts bronze medals |12 May 2016

Top female weightlifter Clementina Agricole clinched the first medals for Seychelles at the 2016 African Weightlifting Championship currently being held in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

On Tuesday night, Agricole was in action where she first lifted 77kg in snatch and then went on to lift 101kg in clean & jerk for a total lift of 178kg.

This means that Agricole, who has been training in the United States of America since late last year, won three bronze medals for her performance in the 58kg category, finishing third out of 10 lifters.

The gold medals went to Nigerian Chineye Fidelis with 87kg in snatch and 122kg in clean & jerk for a total of 209kg. Another Nigerian, Rachel Ekoshoria, took the silver medals with lifts of 82kg in snatch and 110kg in clean & jerk for a total of 192kg.

The result achieved by Agricole in Yaounde is one of her worst in her career considering she lifted 91kg in snatch and 115kg in clean & jerk for an Olympic total of 206kg in the 63kg weight category at last year’s All-Africa Games.

She has also achieved much better results in other international competitions after training at home. At the Commonwealth Games in Pune, India, in 2010, Agricole missed out on the bronze medal by 1kg in the 58kg class, finishing with an Olympic total of 187kg (87kg in snatch and 100kg in clean & jerk).

In October 2009, she brought home the women’s senior 53kg category Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships gold medal – the country’s first ever – from Penang, Malaysia, after finishing with an Olympic total of 177kg (77kg in snatch and 100kg in clean & jerk).

Agricole will still be hoping that her performance is enough to earn her Olympic qualification as this competition also serves as an Olympic qualifying event.

Janet Georges was to compete late last night in the 69kg weight category.

As for Rick Confiance, he was unable to claim a medal in the 62kg weight category after lifting a total of 230kg (100kg in snatch and 130kg in clean & jerk).

S. N.