By John Egbokhan
Just as her name suggests, Power-lifter Ivory Nwokorie, Friday, increased Nigeria’s gold medal tally at the ongoing Paralympics Games in London to two, on a day that Team Nigeria won two silver medals.
Just as her name suggests, Power-lifter Ivory Nwokorie, Friday, increased Nigeria’s gold medal tally at the ongoing Paralympics Games in London to two, on a day that Team Nigeria won two silver medals.
Competing in the Women’s -44 kg, the 33 year old special sports athlete, hauled 109 kg to land the most precious medal that eluded the able-bodied Team Nigerian counterparts at the recently concluded London 2012., which saw Nigeria finish without a single medal, the coun try’s worst ever performance in recent times.
EMOTIONAL …Ivory Nwokorie of Nigeria (centre) celebrates with Cigdem Dede of Turkey (left) and Lidiia Soloviova of Ukraine, during the medal ceremony for the women’s -44kg powerlifting competition at ExCel on August 31. Nwokorie won the gold medal.
Turkey’s Cigdem Dede won the silver medal with a total lift of 105 kg while 34 year-old Lidiia Soloviova of Ukraine took the bronze, after she managed to lift 100ko.
Also yesterday, Nigeria won two silver medals in the power-lifting competition. Ikechukwu Obichukwu finished second in the Men’s -52 kg powerlifting event. His 175 kg lift was just 1kg short of China’s Qi Feng 176 haul, which was enough to fetch the latter the gold medal while the Nigerian had to settle for the silver.
Later in the evening, 16 year-old Anthony Ulonnam, competing in the Men’s -56 kg, hauled 188 kg to claim silver while Egypt’s Sherif Othman, lifted 197kg to win the gold medal. China’s Jian Wangtook the bronze, with a lift of 185kg.
