GOLD COAST – Three of Nigeria’s world record-holders will be in action in the Para powerlifting competition at Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre on Tuesday 10 April, with the Nigerian stranglehold on the event set to continue.
This is Para powerlifting’s third appearance at the Commonwealth Games – Nigeria won every gold medal at Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014.
In Para powerlifting, athletes lie with legs flat on the bench and lower the barbell to their chest, pause the weight, then press the barbell until their arms are fully locked out. In this ultimate test of upper-body strength, they often lift more than three times their bodyweight.
The numbers to watch are not just the kilograms lifted. The scoreboard will show a score based on the AH (Haleczko) formula, which is applied to compare the performance of powerlifters between athletes at different body-weights. The highest AH score will be the winner.
The men and women will both compete in lightweight and heavyweight categories.
We will see two Nigerian world record-holders compete against each other when Lucy EJIKE (NGR) and Esther OYEMA (NGR) meet in the lightweight women’s competition.
Yee Khie JONG (MAS) in the heavyweight men has the best chance to break the Nigerian stranglehold, when he goes up against the Commonwealth Games and world champion from 2014, Abdulazeez IBRAHIM (NGR).
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