Weightlifting - Seychellois lifters return empty-handed |11 November 2016

The three lifters who represented Seychelles at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Penang, Malaysia, have ended the competition without any medals to show for their efforts.

In all, three weightlifters were supposed to represent Seychelles in Penang, but Clementina Agricole’s competition was over before it began as she failed to arrive for the start of the competition and thus the tournament began without her. She was due to compete in the 63kg category, at the competition where she already made history after winning gold in the 53kg category with a total lift of 177kg (77kg in snatch and 100kg in clean & jerk) in 2009.

Seychelles was therefore left with only two competitors at the championships, with Derek Come competing in the junior category, and Rick Confiance in the seniors.

Come, 20, competed in the men’s 94kg category where he managed a performance of 242kg total lift (107kg in snatch and 135kg in clean & jerk) which put him in sixth place. The gold medal here was won by India’s Shivam Saini who achieved a total lift of 300kg (132kg snatch and 168kg clean & jerk).

As for Confiance, he competed in the men’s senior 62kg category and finished eighth out of 11 competitors with a total lift of 237kg (107kg snatch and 130kg clean & jerk). Ziadi Bin Muhammad of Malaysia won the gold medal after he lifted a total weight of 261kg (116kg snatch and 145kg clean & jerk).

Confiance actually finished in sixth place last year in this competition with a total lift of 235kg (108kg in snatch and 127kg in clean & jerk).

The athletes were accompanied in Penang by coaches Reginald Estro and William Dixie.

S. N.