Weightlifting - Agricole’s achievements applauded by President Faure |02 August 2017

African champion Clementina Agricole was welcomed to State House yesterday by President Danny Faure, in recognition of her recent achievement, in winning three gold medals at the African Weightlifting Championship held last month.

Agricole was accompanied to State House by Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mitcy Larue, National Sports Council chief executive Giovanna Rousseau, her coach Zaher Hamdan, Seychelles Weightlifting Federation (SWF) chairman Robert Rose and local coach William Dixie.

“Today, I received recognition from the president for making Seychelles proud and I am very happy as not many athletes get this opportunity.  This recognition is not only for me but for local weightlifting as well,” said Agricole.

Agricole’s three gold medals at the African Championship held in Mauritius were actually her first at this competition with performances of 86kg in snatch and 107kg in clean & jerk for an Olympic total of 193kg in the 63kg weight category.

She added: “The president has promised to help with financing for my next international competition I have to take part in in order to earn qualification to the 2018 Commonwealth Games”.

Agricole revealed that she will be heading to Mauritius very soon for an intensive training, after which she will travel to Australia’s Gold Coast in September to compete in Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships which is crucial to her chances of qualifying for the games itself.

Agricole’s coach, Frenchman Zaher Hamdan said they have a lot of training to do in time for the next championship, but the main focus is to ensure his athlete remains in the best possible form as too much training may risk injury.

Agricole has already written a piece of history in the Commonwealth Championships where in 2009, she won the women’s senior 53kg category gold medal – the country’s first ever – in Penang, Malaysia, after finishing with an Olympic total of 177kg (77kg in snatch and 100kg in clean & jerk).

She returned to competition in 2013 after being absent for just over two years, recovering from a brain tumour.

Last year, Agricole claimed three bronze medals at the African Weightlifting Championship in Yaoundé, Cameroon after lifting 77kg in snatch and 101kg in clean & jerk for a total lift of 178kg in the 58kg category contested by 10 lifters.

S. N.