Weightlifting Two local female lifters on Turkish training camp |03 April 2023

Joelita Coloma and Romantha Larue are expected to arrive in Turkey today (Photos: Roland Duval

Local iron ladies, Joelita Coloma and Romantha Larue left the country yesterday for Antalya, Turkey where they will attend a one-month training camp, in preparation for the forthcoming  African Weightlifting Championships scheduled for Tunis, Tunisia between May 11-20.

Hosted by the Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA), the event is also part of the qualification process for African countries at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad which will take place in Paris, France from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

The continental challenge is not new for Coloma and Larue who took part in last year’s competition held in Cairo, Egypt.

Coloma, who competes in the 76kg category, won three silver medals, after snatching 80kg and lifting 100kg in clean and jerk for a total of 180kg.

The category was won by Egyptian Roufida Fathi whose total was 210kg after recording 90kg in snatch and 120kg in clean and jerk.

As for Larue, she won three bronze medals in the +87kg category where she snatched 87kg and lifted 111kg in clean and jerk for a final total of 198kg, earning her third place overall.

It was Egyptian Halima Abdelazim who won the gold medals after a performance of 124kg in snatch and 145kg in clean and jerk, earning her a grand total of 269kg, while her compatriot Shaimaa Khalaf finished second with a total of 202kg after lifting 90kg in snatch and 112kg in clean and jerk.

The performances of Coloma and Larue placed Seychelles third overall at the competition.

The training for Coloma, who is on the Olympic scholarship, and Larue is being financed by the National Sports Council (NSC), and the Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (Socga).

Seychelles is currently ranked ninth in terms of total results at the African Weightlifting Championships, having won a total of 61 medals – 14 gold, 25 silver and 22 bronze – between 2008 and 2022.

Tunisia is presently leading the ranking with 270 medals (122 gold, 89 silver, and 59 gold), followed in the second place by Egypt with 141 medals (88 gold, 34 silver and 19 bronze), while Nigeria is third with 132 medals (78 gold, 40 silver and 14 bronze).

From the Indian Ocean region, Madagascar is presently seventh overall with 52 medals (20 gold, 18 silver and 14 bronze), while Mauritius is one spot below Seychelles in 10th position with 49 medals (8 gold, 25 silver and 16 bronze).

In total 16 countries feature on the rankings.

Roland Duval